Life as Lived Under the Employment of Death 'part2
by Aeyvi Allen Poe
Summary: The tale of three assassins just doing their job and doing it well. It seems Sonic and the gang are going to have a nasty surprise. Is Sally their next target? Espio may be the only one standing between the Unholy Trinity and their paycheck.
1. Death and Taxes

((Here is a new story I devised because I had this idea for awhile. Sorry for branching off, but the other one's getting boring. Whatever, onto the story)))

Sonic: WHAT? NO CHARACTER COMMENTS?

Knux: yeah, just what kind of operation are you running here? And grapes.

A: shut up. I'm not in the mood -.-.

Sn: she's been like that lately. I think it's time for a vacation. RUN AWAY WITH ME, AEYVI! Let's go to the Bahamas and get wasted on rumrunners!

A: that sounds FABULOUS! But I have work u.u.

Sn: -kidnaps author and sails away on a cruise ship to Nassau.-

A: aww, screw work. Rumrunners it is! -they tap their glasses together-

& if I owned Sonic in any way shape or form, I wouldn't be an author on ffnet, now, would I? &

_Chapter 1- Nothing's for Certain Save Death... and Taxes_

I was still a little bit hung over from the night previous (the activities of which I was still trying to recall) but I managed to get myself out of bed and into my clothes. Surely, assassins should always be clearheaded on the job, right? This left me as no exception.

His petname for us was the Unholy Trinity. There were three of us then, myself included. A raven known only as "Poe", and a red panda named Aka Takai. Well, she looked more like a raccoon than a bear of any sort I'd seen, but she was good at her work.

She originated from China but had been raised and trained in Japan, hence her Japanese nickname. They said it meant "red death" and going by the story of similar name, it was fitting. Royalty and the filthy rich who tried to shut out the danger and destruction of their lowly subjects could never hide from the wrath of the red death. She always exacted the most meticulous revenge on our employer's adversaries. What with her skill at the blade, she made quick albeit often messy work of the wealthy and corrupt.

Poe, as we called her, excelled at all things in the element of surprise. She was an excellent sniper, perfect shot every time! I was beginning to wonder when she'd miss! Well, about her name, we called her that since she wouldn't give us her real one. (We all went by aliases or code names when on-the-job. All save me, that is.) So, I thought raven, I thought immediately of our dear late Edgar! Poetic isn't it? Haha! Poetic indeed! Quoth the raven: nevermore. And that's the way work went with Poe.

There isn't much to say of myself at the current time. I go by my given first name- Kaimera. It's quite fitting, I'd say. Mum always said it was bushman for "she who vanquishes." Others state that I'm actually named for the mythical monster, the chimera, which might also be fitting. Being that my kind are among the basilisk lizard variety, you have to find some irony in my being named after TWO monsters at once. It's true. I 'can' be the little monster, heh heh. But this story isn't all about me. It's about us three, the toils and triumphs we endured and celebrated. It's about the business of death, and the life that we lived in it.

In looking at that familiar reflection in the motel mirror, I had to wonder exactly what herd of water buffalo had stampled across my face in my sleep. My head ached painfully from the drinking of the night before. But hell, I could never turn down the opportunity to drink some arrogant yank under the table. Ah, it reminded me of home... I had two, mind you. I was born and -for the most part- raised down in Australia, hence my inescapable accent. But South Africa had treated me well in my young and vibrant years. Mind you, this doesn't mean I'm not young and vibrant today, but those four years in which I transgressed into womanhood were by far my favorites.

Yes, that was before they taught me to drink... I thought this to myself as I neglected my makeup and simply splashed my face with cool water before slinging my rifle case over my shoulder and grabbing my nap sack. In opening the door cautiously, I made doubly sure there were no sounds out of the ordinary. This always helped me in even everyday situations. You just never know.

I swished my long tail in relief at the sound and sight of safety, making my way out and down the stairwell. I was met at the bottom by my accomplice Aka, who was at that moment sharpening one of her many throwing knives whilst leaning against the large company SUV.

"You're late again, lizard." She remarked without looking up. Have I forgotten to describe her appearance? Yes, I believe I have. She was a sort of burgundy, save the cream-colored rings around her long, fluffy tail and around her eyes and ears. Betwixt her chocolate brown eyes there was a black streak, spanning also at the edges of her face very much like a raccoon. She was very slender, almost enviously so, and she had the most curious tuft of tan-colored fur at the center of her collarbone. Before I'd met Aka, I'd never seen such an animal as her in my life. She was very curious indeed. I guess they considered her kind alike to the panda, though I know not in what way. I believe I'd mentioned that... Oh well. She was wearing her favorite skintight stealth suit, almost glowing in its clean whiteness in the morning sunlight.

"You know I dislike it when you call me that." I opened the door to the car, tossing in my effects and closing it again.

"Where's Poe?"

"Scouting."

Poe was perfect for that, by the way. I looked skyward, almost expecting to see her dark form silhouetted against the cloudless sky. Of course, she was nowhere near there at the time.

"So, are we off?"

"Yes. She'll probably be waiting. Are you going to be wearing that?" she looked at me somewhat distastefully.

I looked down at my dark purple buttondown short-sleeved shirt, my weathered brown leather jacket, and my torn and faded denim jeans. Ah, yes, all bore recent memories of home sweet home down under. But, she was right... I was forgetting something.

"Me 'at! I almost bloody forgot me 'at!" and with that, I raced back up the stairs to retrieve my prized slouch hat. I could hear Aka sigh heavily from below.

I always considered the work of the assassin to be of noble intention. I know that may sound unreasonable, perhaps absurd, but it was for me. The exception was... I'm serious about my job. She... well, I could never tell.

I must have found it strange being called "Aka" after my thorough training had been completed. But, it was then that I had left my past, my childhood, and my birthname behind. I shall remain nameless otherwise. Aka it is then. Japanese being for the most part my first language, it sounded odd, people calling me by my color. I suppose I don't know that many people anyway, therefore this probably matters little to else but me.

My kitanas and my various knives were my most prized possessions. It's true I had my sterling silver pistol, but only if need arose. The gun remains unfired, but keeps its place on my belt. Who has need for such primitive weapons when one has skill as I had learned? I must keep reminding myself that skill comes in many, many colors...

Of course, I drove. Kai has to be the most immature and irresponsible of the trio. I don't think I would ever trust her behind the wheel of an expensive car such as this; after hearing about what happened to her humvee in the "outback." Right off a nice steep cliff, I think it was. She said she never laughed as hard in her life! How she could ever be considered a skilled assassin is far beyond me.

But, alas, there she was sitting shotgun, holding that god-forsaken elephant rifle in her lap as if it were as precious as a small child. Australians must be very strange that way. Or it could just be her... I glanced at her again as we sped through the sparse town, her ever-grinning face, those ghastly green scales of hers, the winglike flaps that draped about her shoulders in their relaxed form. Disgusting. What were they for, anyway? It seemed they only flared when she got excited or enraged, making her look terrifying or silly depending on her mood. They looked rather dull at the moment, but fully opened, they were actually quite becoming in their speckled gradient of purple, red, orange and gold. That had to be the only beautiful thing about her. Otherwise, she was just a lizard.

"So, what was the name of it again? Knothead?" She asked aloud in that sordid Aussie accent of hers.

"Are you insulting me? I only told you last night. Knothole."

"What kind of princess lives in a place called Knothole?"

I sighed. She was really trying my patience today. "The chipmunk kind. This should be a quick and simple job..." I looked at her, frowning seriously. "So don't do anything stupid this time."

"Do I eveh?" she smiled back, tilting her head and flaring her "ears" innocently.

I just wanted to slap her, but I had to keep my hands on the wheel.

(((OKAAY! This started out well, as most stories of mine do. If not a tad wordy, neh. Ok, so tell me what you think and don't hate me for temporarily abandoning my other fics! Chao!)))


	2. Dead Aim

((I've been gathering my thoughts for the past few days, and now I believe I am ready to continue this fic. Mind you, I just had a root canal done this morning and the good dentist had to give me about seven sequential shots of Novocain in the mouth for it to have any effect. Needless to say, I'm a little sore... and a little more than loopy. Just the state for some interesting content, I believe.)))

Sonic: I just thought of something... Why would Eggman want ALL the emeralds if he knew that the Master Emerald canceled out the Chaos Emeralds?

Knuckles: because he's an idiot.

Sn: some idiot you'd have to be, then, to be tricked by him twice...

K: -pummels Sonic- grapes, gawdamnit. TT

Oh lordy... Well, onto the fic I suppose...

_Capter 2- Dead Aim_

"It's been so boring since everything quieted down..." Sally mused to herself whilst sitting at her elaborate desk. She'd found talking to herself a better pastime than talking to any of the guards during the regular "business" hours, and there was much to be discussed anyway. She was glad she was alone for the moment. If only Sonic would stop by like he'd promised... but that wouldn't be any use because he'd be shooed away because "her majesty is busy." Oh, fuck it all. They call signing paper after paper work? This is how she served her people?

"I'd give anything for a break in the SSDD routine... Why can't everything just be like it was?... That reminds me, I have a hair appointment tomorrow... Thank GOD!" she pulled at a lock of her reddish-maroon-dyed hair, visualizing the brown roots showing through. She cringed at the thought.

"Maybe I'll get highlights this time..."

At that moment, unbeknownst to her, a small red dot snaked its way across the room, settling on the back of her head.

(AN- SSDDSame Shit, Different Day)

-

Her dark brown eye was settled in the sighter, and she smiled as she found her target. Couldn't ask for a more perfect shot. Not in three lifetimes. This was just too easy. Her finger slid along the smooth, cool surface of the trigger, sucking in a slow breath as she readied herself for the kill...

She jumped involuntarily as her cell vibrated in her pocket. The sleek device opened with a flick of her wrist and she placed it to her cheek.

"What?"

"Confirm your position."

"I'm looking at her right now. Twenty feet from the window. I have a perfect shot."

"Hold up 'till we get there. We're en route to you as we speak."

"But, Aka..."

"Boss's orders."

"Fuck him. I have a shot and I'm taking it."

"What about your escape route?"

"Do you think I'm some sort of rookie? Everything's laid out as planned! How many times have we done this before?"

"There's an unexpected delay in operation. You won't be able to do the job and get away unnoticed. There's a chance we could all be compromised."

"Oh, yeah? What?"

"I'll tell you when I get there. Don't move." There was a click as the two were disconnected.

"Damn that pie-eyed raccoon... she's starti'n to act like a gawdamn cracker!" Poe threw down her sniper rifle in disgust, sitting on the hot shingles of the roof.

"I'm supposed to sit back and be governed by some voice without a face or name... jus' go along with these orders sayi'n 'yes, massa!' Damn it all."

She fluttered her wings, readjusting them as they were folded on her back. She rested her chin in her hands, waiting for her late accomplices.

-

She looked up as there was a light rap at her door.

"Come in."

The door opened cautiously, and a blue head peeked around the wood panels, ears swiveling.

"It's alright; the guards don't stay in my room. Not anymore..." she chuckled as Sonic sighed with relief, closing the door behind him.

"So, where have you been? Two months and I see hide nor hair of you and you just show up one day-"

He touched noses with her, grinning. "Excuse me, I didn't know you didn't have a phone either, your majesty." She grinned back, kissing him briefly.

"You know how it is around here. All my phone calls are monitored. I just wanted you to stop by or something. I mean two months..."

"Funny, we hadn't talked in about three years... Two months makes all the difference."

"Are you being disrespectful?" she sat back in her chair, mock disbelief in her eyes.

"No, but I could be if you wanted..." He kissed her more deeply this time, stealthily sliding a hand up her skirt. She didn't object.

-

"Oh! This just makes my fuckin' day!" Poe grasped at her hair in frustration, then reached for her cell.

"Aka, the princess is now otherwise engaged. I'll have to come back later to get a good shot. Oh, and, almost forgot: FUCK YOU."

"Glad to see you're in a good mood. We'll just have to try tomorrow; it was out of your hands."

"Out of my-" Poe had to pull the phone away for a moment while she regained herself and refrained from screaming. Sally was doing enough of that now for the both of them.

"I told you I had a shot not fifteen minutes ago! I could have taken it!" she hissed into the small cell.

"No, we were in a bad position. You couldn't have-"

"Don't assume what I can and can't do! I ain't your nigga no way no how! I'm gonna take this next shot whether her boyfriend's in the way or not!" she snapped the phone shut, stuffing it in her coat pocket, striding forward on the roof and picking up her rifle on the way. She heaved it onto her shoulder angrily, taking aim.

She froze as she heard a click at the back of her head.

"Put the gun down."

"Says who?"

"Put it down."

The voice was rasped and deep. Odd...she hadn't seen anyone... Where had he come from?

Slowly, she slung the rifle's strap around her shoulder and let it dangle, raising her hands.

"Now, turn around."

She did so, then gasped. A gun was hanging in the air by itself. She shrieked, flapping her wings frantically and making her retreat to the sky.

"Heh heh, always works." Espio lowered his gun as he melted back into view. "Though I didn't expect such a nice reaction. She must be superstitious."

He glanced in the direction of her presumed target, then grimaced.

"God, do they have to go at it with the window wide open? Ugh..."  
With that, he made his way back the way he came.

----------

Poe was usually in her right mind, actually. I'd always thought of her as responsible and sane enough to make her own just decisions. After the incident on the roof, however, I was beginning to doubt my trust in her.

"Tell me again. Who pointed the gun at you? Now I want you to think about it, speak slowly. There was someone holding a gun. What did he look like?"

Poe closed her eyes in frustration, huffing out a breath through the noseholes on her beak.

"I told you! I saw it with my own eyes! The gun was floating by itself! It was a ghost!"

I had to sigh with disappointment. Now I had two loons to babysit. Kai, by the way, found it amusing to no end. She couldn't stop giggling from her chair where she sat, cleaning her rifle.

"A genuine spirit! Well, if I'd known the royal family employed dead people I wouldn't be killing them to begin with!" she dropped her gun as she was reduced to spasms of loud mirth.

Well, neither of them knew what the issue had been to cause us to abort the mission. Now was as good a time as any...

"The royal family recently hired a personal bodyguard unbeknownst to the princess. In fact, very few even know of him. He's supposed to be a professional. I looked up his records and I have to say they're impressive."

I pulled the said documents from their folder in my case next to the hotel bed.

"He's worked for the best. It says he's the master at stealth operations, and he's been hired to protect several dignitaries, a president, and now the royal family. I'd just been warned of his presence while we were on our way over. I'll bet anything he was using his stealth skills to trick your eyes into thinking he was a ghost of all things!" I thocked her on the forehead with a finger to let her know she was in disgrace.

"Next time I expect you to keep your head."

"Yeah...sorry... I just..."

"We'll have no excuses. Just stay alert."

She smoothed her feathery hair back with a hand, sighing. "You know I can do better than that... I don't need scolding..."

I let her off at that, turning back to the papers I had laid out on the small table.

"Do we know what he is?" Kai inquired as she stood by the table, looking through the papers herself.

"It doesn't say. My guess is a cat, or equally agile species. He must have some advanced technology, to make himself invisible, that is..."

"I have a theory!" Kai offered cheerfully.

"We're not interested." Poe stated, sitting on a bed.

"But... it's a good theory!"

"Do you even know what a theory is?" I asked her.

"Eh...an educated guess."

"That's a hypothesis, dear. And I wouldn't be expecting any intelligent OR educated guesses from you. Let it lie. We'll find this bodyguard before we take out the princess. Starting tonight."

"Tonight?" Poe objected.

"Yes. As soon as possible. Kai, get dressed."

"Aren't I?" she looked down at her shabby and overly-casual garb.

"No. Not for where we're going. Wear my brown dress if you like. Tonight, we go in style."

Poe clapped her hands with glee.

"By the way, you're not going."

She made a sound of disbelief and disappointment.

"He saw your face. We can't afford him to recognize you." I explained, placing my documents back in their respective folders. She just sneered at me, crossing her arms.

--------------------

I can't really remember a time when I actually wore high-heels, especially Aka's four inch ones. If she weren't so bleeding short she could afford not to do this precarious balancing act I had been forced to perform that evening. The dress was nice though. I like brown...

She, of course, wore white. More like a nice vanilla cream color, I'd say. It brings out her eyes. How she could step so quickly in such tiny stilettos is beyond me. Like walking on pins for heels. It's a wonder she didn't make holes in the floor.

Well, I have to say, it was the poshest gig I'd ever laid eyes on, ignore my grammar. All sorts of important and pretty people came out to show off their expensive garments and rich spouses. It all seemed rather plastic to me. Unreal people are disgusting to talk to. This is why I avoided them at all costs... and made myself welcome to the champagne.

The castle at Knothole was by far one of the nicest I'd had the privilege to be in. you shouldave seen the princess's getup. A gorgeous black dress that sparkled and outlined her frame quite nicely... cut off a little daringly high above her knees. Damn the fact we had to kill her. Such a waste... I forgot to mention the fact that I don't care for boys, didn't I? Ah, well, no matter. On with my recollection of the party!

Now, there I saw the king and queen. Our elusive guard shouldn't be far away... Ah! There I saw one dressed in black, a nice pressed suit like you see all those important special service men wear. Oh, save the dark glasses. Why would anyone wear them at night anyway? Well, my suspicion was right! Our stealthy target was indeed a chameleon. Why he chose purple of all hues as his usual color confused me. Perhaps he was flamboyant? Ha! A queen for a bodyguard. This is too much. Poor thing...he deserves better.

Aka was conversing with some VIP's at the moment, so I thought best not to disrupt her. That and I wanted to nail this bastard myself. I sneaked as gracefully as my clumsy feet would allow to the far corner he occupied, my hand slipping to the small pistol at my garter. Gawd, fancy that! Me, Kaimera, wearing a garter! Hell must have frozen over earlier.

He saw me, of course, and raised an eye ridge at me as if to say "you _can't_ be serious", then turned his attention to the royal family.

Oh, he really wanted to make me mad, didn't he? I noticed he was standing against a curtain. If I could get him behind that, my work would be easier. The shot could be muffled by his body and no one would be the wiser.

I looked around to make sure no one was looking, then made a dash to him with every intention of tackling him and disappearing behind that curtain.

If only it weren't for these bleeding heels...

I tripped, you see, and none too gently. The next thing I knew, I was face- to-face with his shoes and I could feel a draft at my backside. The dress undoubtedly had flipped up when my tail jerked to keep balance. What good my tail did, I'll never know. I looked up sheepishly at the amused face of the nameless chameleon.

"Are you ok, miss?"

"Ah...uh...eh..."

He took my hand and helped me to my feet with a curt yank, leaving me quite embarrassed. I smoothed the frills of my dress, feeling a warm blush at my cheeks. Damnit, my chance was ruined.

"I'm alright, thank you..."

"You probably shouldn't run in those..." he advised, obviously fighting off a smirk. Ha. He would probably know, too.

"I'm sorry... my name's Kaimera..." I offered my hand, expecting him to take it and say his name in return. I was curious. He looked at my hand, then at me, but didn't shake it.

"Nice to meet you Kaimera."

Ooh! Not fair! Say your name, damnit!

"And... what's your name?"

"That's not really important. Go on and enjoy the party. Try not to trip."

That bloody bastard... oh, I'd enjoy killing him, that I would...

"I'm just curious... a handsome bloke like you has to have a name... right?" my intention was to flatter him, not seduce him. If my suspicions were correct, he much preferred a partner of the more masculine variety, but I had to take my chances.

"Miss, please..." he began with a complaining tone... well, somewhat. I couldn't seem to get all that much emotion out of him.

"Just your first name... it couldn't hurt, could it?" I put on my coy face, fluttering my lashes a little for effect. I wanted to retch.

He smiled slightly, giving in. Maybe he was straight after all?

"Espio."

"Well, Espio... are you working at the moment?"

"yeah..."

"When do you get off?"

"...I don't..."

I blinked a little in surprise. Round the clock supervision. He MUST be good...

"You have to sleep sometime, don't you?"

"Well, yes..."

"And that means you have a bed... right?"

"Uhh... miss..."

"Call me Kai "

"Miss... This is inappropriate. Please go and enjoy the party."

Alright, let's bring out the big guns! Watery sad puppy eyes!

"But... I was just curious..."

He sighed. "Yes, I do in fact sleep in a bed. Satisfied?"

"Not yet..." I bit at a gloved finger, giving him my temptress eyes. He blushed visibly. Good...I was getting under his skin...soon he'd be mine...

"You have to take a break sometime..." I prodded.

"When the party's over, yeah. But-"

"Espio... I think it's time you were rewarded for all your hard work..." I shoved him into the curtain, then pulled it up, over our heads.

"Miss, please, this is inappropriate-"

He shut up when I pinned him against a wall. I reached for my gun as I leaned in to kiss him. I knew I shouldn't have been enjoying it as much as I was. If I were straight I would have definitely shagged him. Unfortunately, I would enjoy killing him far more...

I felt a sharp pain to the side of my neck and suddenly everything was dark.


	3. A New Breed of Enemy

((( Someone asked me if I was creating Poe after myself. Now, I want you all to think about this for a moment. Poe is obviously a sistah. I am as white as they come. Even my parrot calls me cracker. The thing was I never expected her to be black! She just came out that way! You WILL have to forgive me because it's been awhile since I spent time around myblack friends, and I may not word things correctly. I AM NOT A RACIST! I am extremely anti-racist and all racists should die a horrible horrible death by acne. I hope it doesn't sound in any way like I'm making fun of blacks either. I'M NOT! Oh, just read and don't listen to my whining.

Sonic: what do you get if you lock Aeyvi in a basement?

Knuckles: a very pissed and screaming Aeyvi?

Sn: T.T a whine cellar. You ruin all my jokes.

K: what? I don't get it... that wouldn't be nice because Aeyvi's afraid of the dark...

Sn: -sigh- nevermind, Knux. Nevermind.

K: But it would be mean! You're really mean Sonic. You are.

Sn: geez...

PS! Anonymous person REVEAL THYSELF! Anyone who gives such nice reviews deserves a thankyou note from me! And I want to read your stuff too... you obviously have an eye for literature...

K: anyway, like I was saying, grapes.

A: and that certifies it. Do drop me an email if you get the chance, neh? Okies, onto the fic. Mind you I'm thoroughly deprived of sleep, so it'll come out how it's going to come out...

&( the voices in my head tell me I don't own Sonic, but I DO own the happy land of cheesecake. Visit any time you like.)&

_Chapter 3- A New Breed of Enemy_

This had to be the first time anything like this had happened. I really need to start monitoring who drinks the champagne from now on... well, she was rather... attractive... and now sadly unconscious thanks to a quick swipe to a pressure point. There was literally no other way to stop the woman. Maybe I'll talk to her when she sobers up...

I pondered a course of action from there, trying to decide if it would be proper to drag her out the door and leave her there. No, that's not very considerate is it? I finally decided she could have one of the lesser guest rooms for the night and she could be on her way in the morning. The only dilemma was that she looked rather heavy... Not fat, mind you, just... well, to my surprise, quasi-muscular. She didn't appear to be an aristocrat at all. She acted like one, but she couldn't have been.

I looked up with a jolt as something bumped against the curtain, batting at it to find the opening. Finally a hedgehog stuck his head through, though it was dark and I couldn't tell who it was.

"Espio? I saw you getting molested and I thought I'd come and help..."

"You came to help molest me, Sonic?"

"What? Gross! No, to pry her off, sicko..." He closed the curtain behind him, looking at the girl.

"Hey, you could do worse..."

"Shut up and help me carry her. See that door over there?"

"No, but yeah."

"sigh I'll lead. Get her feet."

I managed to lift her by wrapping an arm under hers and Sonic lifted the other end. We then made our way in the dark to the door.

There was a metallic clatter as something fell to the floor.

"Did you drop something?"

"No, did you?"

"No..."

I set her down, feeling the stone floor until my fingers closed around it. I see...

"It was nothing. Let's keep moving."

I pocketed the small gun and continued the trek to the guest quarters.

"So, she's like, out cold..." Sonic nudged me. "She probably wouldn't remember a thing..."

I gave him a look of disgust.

"You people sicken me. Go back to the party."

"Your loss..." he turned and left, closing the door behind him. I shook my head sadly as I looked down at her, strewn across the small bed. In the transportation to the room; her red hair had come undone from its neat bun, strewn messily across her face. I brushed it to the side, still puzzling over who she was.

"Why? Why were you trying to kill me...? Was all this just a distraction or... were you just drunk?"

I pulled out the small pistol, looking it over. Nicely made... maybe she was a boss's daughter? They all carry guns, but those kinds of people weren't invited to parties like this...

I sat in a nearby chair, still examining the pistol. This might have become a serious situation... I decided to advise the head of security to have metal detectors installed at all entrances as soon as possible. This wouldn't happen again.

I looked back at her, feeling a pang of sympathy for the poor girl. It was reflex only that saved me from a certainly embarrassing situation. Had I not reacted as I did, I can only imagine...

My eyes widened, and I shook my head of those thoughts. Absolutely not. I was a professional. Professionals don't do THAT while on the clock.

Come to think of it, I'm never actually "off the clock" anymore. Why oh why did I accept this job? I guess this was the last thing I'd expect to happen... my experiences with the opposite sex had been rather limited up till tonight. I just can't... imagine letting down my guard enough to...to...

I stood, stuffing the weapon in my pocket again. I had left my post absent too long already. She could take care of herself when she woke. Lucky for me I could disappear if she came looking for me again. With that, I turned on my heel and left.

-

Aka looked about frantically, seeing no sign of Kaimera anywhere. She excused herself from petty conversation and took refuge behind a pillar, dialing on her cell. She waited, hearing the ring tone several times.

"Come ON!"

"You've reached Kai's voicemail whateveryouwanacallit, I still don't know how to check the bloody thing, but leave a message if it'll make you feel better. G'day!"

"Oooh! So help me God when I get my hands on that girl..." she lashed her bristling tail, her pointy ears going flat on her head like a cat's.

"Can I help you, miss?" a random servant who happened to be a skunk asked kindly.

"NO!" she screamed. The servant jumped, eyeing her warily.

"Forgive me, yes. Have you seen a girl in a brown dress? She's a lizard, eh... she has flaps hanging down her neck..." she motioned the general area on herself.

"No, miss, I'm sorry I haven't."

"Thank you anyway..."

He walked away from her hastily.

She paced for a few moments, her tight dress allowing little room for her usual long strides. She opened her cell again, dialing Poe.

"What?"

"Kai's missing. The bodyguard is nowhere in sight. I'm going to head back."

"Wait a damn minute! Kai's missing?"

"Yes. I've looked everywhere for her. My guess is she found the free champagne and wandered off. She'll probably wake up on the steps tomorrow. I'm not too worried. What pisses me off is the bodyguard's not here."

"You don't even know what he looks like!"

"A cat, remember? I've talked to all the cats here and not one of them even knows."

"You don't know if he's a cat."

"Nevermind. Mission unsuccessful. I'm on my way."

"Psh, whatever."

She closed the device, pinching her temples with a hand. Her intricate hairdo was falling out from all the pacing she had been doing and she could feel a migraine coming on. Maybe one glass of champagne before she left... it couldn't hurt...

-----------------------

Far from where any of this was happening, a certain scarlet echidna was sitting on the far edge of his floating island, staring out at the night sky blankly.

Two months. No letters, no phonecalls...then again, Angel Island wasn't exactly the best cell zone, being a few thousand feet above any celltowers... But Sonic had promised to forward any word from her to him as soon as he got it. The hedgehog was a little unreliable, though. He could imagine the precious letter sitting under a coffee cup on Sonic's kitchen table. When, God, WHEN would that boy grow some SENSE?

He tossed a rock into a nearby cloud bank angrily. It had been awhile since he'd worn his gloves. He just felt like they confined him, and he was done with confinement and tight spaces for the moment. Like what Tarsa said when he asked her why she didn't wear them... "I feel more like me without them. So what if everyone else wears them? I like being different. We have to have at least a little uniqueness in this conforming world, right?"

Tarsa, always the ever-enlightened flowerchild. She always used these confusing terms that just confounded him, yet she made sense. It never really occurred to him before how... quiet...it was on the island. How cold it got at night...how alone he actually was.

He missed her. He admitted it. Everything reminded him of her... That color of blue the sky took on just before sunrise, the night-blooming jasmine that grew in the dense forest, the striking beauty of his island home and how much he wished she could see it...

"I have to find her... what if something happened to her? What if she's hurt? Dying? What if-"

He stood, the painful realization finally striking him.

"What if she's found someone else?"

-----------------------

Kaimera groaned loudly, rolling over in the soft expensive bed, wondering for a moment where she was. She opened an eye, lifting her head slightly.  
_'nice room...how did I get myself in here?'_ she thought. She sat up, rubbing the bruise on her neck, earflaps flaring at the sting of pain.

"Damnitall, he got away he did." Swinging her feet over the side of the bed, she removed the offensive stilettos, swishing her tail angrily. She didn't even want to know what time it was. Aka would have her tail removed this time for sure. And it wouldn't be growing back.

She reached absently for her gun, finding it gone.

"FUCKAROW! Me bleeding gun's gone! That scaly little..." She stood angrily, then to her surprise, fell at once.

"I hate it when this happens... not that it's eveh happened before..." she tried to move a leg, but found them both useless.

"He knows the immobilization touch. Damn. Can't see 'im half the time and can't get near 'im. How the bleedin' 'ell is he to be killed?"

"From far away, I suppose. With a rifle." He replied.

"Oh. Yes, I suppose that would work..."

She jerked her head up suddenly, realizing who she was talking to.

"YOU!"

"Yes, me. I have a few questions, if you don't mind." Espio began, walking around her.

She growled, the colorful flaps flaring again with anger. "You let me up now or else!"

"Are you threatening me?" he asked, amusement in his voice as he stooped to look her in the eyes.

"Yes." She gulped a little audibly, his closeness now making her uneasy. He did have her at a major disadvantage; but she could still use her arms, she thought.  
_'When he gets close enough he's going to earn himself a nasty hook to the jaw...'_

"Why are you trying to kill me?" he continued his slow circle around her.

"Why not?" she smirked.

"You have a reason. Is it as obvious as I think it is, or is someone after me in particular?"

"I don't know... Have you pissed anyone off lately?"

"I can name a few people, but I was hoping you'd tell me."

She shrugged as she was lying on her back. "Hell if I know. All our orders are given anonymously. He never gives a reason."

"'Our'? Who else is in on this?"

She froze, realizing what had slipped.

"We're skitsophrenic. The good doctor told us so."

"Uh huh... I see... So, they sent a skitso after me. Right."

"If you don't believe us, that's your own problem." She folded her arms, looking away.

"Just tell me why you want to kill me and I'll let you go." He stated finally.

"Oh, right, so I can kill you later. I see. You think I'm a bleeding idiot! There's no way you'd let me go!"

"Try me."

"You're a cocky one, aren't you?" she chuckled, smiling at him.

"That's what they tell me."

"Fine. Come closer and I'll tell you..."

He stooped down on one knee, staring seriously into her mirthful rust-red eyes.

"closer..."

"Just say it."

_'damn...so much for that idea.'_ she thought.

She looked from side to side as if making sure no one else was listening, then whispered:

"I don't like you."

He frowned blankly. "Really?"

"Yes. It's true." She sighed sadly. "Now let me up, will you?"

He sighed as well, reaching in and pressing three points on the back of her head and neck, releasing her muscles from their temporary paralysis.

"Thank you. You're very kind." She stood, stretching momentarily. "Now, might I have my gun back?"

"No."

"But... but it's mine!"

"No."

"Damnit, it's expensive! Me daddy gave it me when I was ten!"

"Get going."

"You're mean..." She sniffled, ear-flaps shuddering.

"Before I change my mind..." he warned.

"It was nice chatting! So long!" she made herself absent quickly.

((ah, what a lovely chapter! I shall have to make more like it in the future! Na na na na naaaa...so, it's been fun and chao!))


	4. A Cumulative Effort

((for the benefit of mister Kite...and the anonymous person mainly... My email is aeyviallenpoe at hotmail dot com. There ya go! For those of you who are confused, "for the benefit of mister Kite" is a Beatles song. You're all officially enlightened! Ah, I love the Beatles but then who doesn't? They're British! Yay! Ok, I'm very strange today (moreso than usual) so beware. ))

Knuckles: I like the dyingsoul36 version of me! It's awesome! I'm like- all primordial and savage and shit! Hoo-waa! Fear me! -strikes ninja pose-

Espio: stop mocking me...

Sonic: anyway, I think he's implying that you go and read dyingsoul36's "born in darkness, loved by light" fic. Although that's a completely different me, mind you.

Shadow: a sexier, less obnoxiously repulsive you...

Sn: ...okay, by saying sexiER, do you mean that you think I'm sexy NOW?

Sh: ... clings to Karpa meh... Now I'm confused...

K: you know what? I like grapes.

All: we know. T.T

&( Manic: they love me, they really love me! I get to do the disclaimer again! Righteous! Ok, like, her incredibly awesome dudetteness Aeyvi does not own me, my sis, my bro, my bro's buds, my bro's un-buds, or any of those nice people we haven't met yet. But, like, whatever is uniquely unique and totally devised of her super-powered noggin is hers. I guess that's it. Any questions? )&

Sn: o.O have you taken your medication today, Manic?

M: nope!

Sh: we can tell.

_Chapter 4- A Cumulative Effort_

Foiled again, I suppose. Now I had a good reason to kill him. He intrigued me.

In meeting up with Aka, I found myself in the midst of a tongue lashing and I didn't even know how or where the thing had started. At some points she actually slipped into Japanese: a sure sign she had completely lost her temper. I think her pet name for me is "baka" and I'm almost sure it's meaning is unpleasant. She's adorable when she's angry, though.

I flopped on the bed while she was still screaming at me, thinking over new and interesting ways to skin a chameleon. I could make his hide into a nice jacket...or perhaps a hat... Don't call me Buffalo Bill now- even though Silence of the Lambs is one of my favorites- I just wanted him dead and soon. I had very few true enemies in my past, the kind you admire almost as much as you despise them. This one was by far my most challenging.

"...will never happen again! Do you hear me? Kono bakayarou! Chikusho!"

I toned her out again, staring at the ceiling and yawning. She'd soon run out of air...

Just then Poe walked through the door, tossing down the sack in her hand angrily.

"Do you have any idea how close you were to killing him?"

"'Twas outa me 'ands. Just as I was about to do 'im in, he koncked me out. Took me best pistol too..."

"I'm going to finish the job. You two are WORTHLESS!" Aka fairly shrieked, snatching her scabbard and storming out the open door. We both winced as it slammed behind her.

"I hope she gets her tail caught the next time she does that." Poe remarked, sitting on the bed opposite mine and flicking on the TV apathetically.

------------------------------------

A month and three weeks previous in Tuskanon...

"Don't worry!" she had told me at least a hundred times. "They'll love you!"

Easy for her to say... She had the privilege of knowing our parents all her life. I, however, was as nervous as if I were about to go on American Idol... And I'm no Kelly Clarkson...

We didn't go straight "home", no, first we went "shopping". I've never felt so poor in my life. We were in the foreign equivalent of Beverly Hills. She went and bought me an off-white suit I could never afford in twelve years, then some equally expensive shoes... Well, more like stilts made of Italian leather. Now, if you know me, you'll know I've never been one to glitz up and strut proudly. Not for anyone! I'm content in a torn pair of jeans and a T-shirt. But, when for the first time in my life I had to act like a model, I found the whole thing excruciating. (I know some other big words too.)

If my own mother would love me any less in my usual clothes, then she'd be no mother of mine! I always thought my real mother would be kind and caring... have the same lust for life as I always had. Maybe it was just how I grew up... and she turned out to be more like Karpa than anything else... not that being like my only sister is bad... I just didn't want her to be shallow...

I took a deep and wavering breath as I looked up at the large, golden double doors of the Fairchild estate. The expensive fabric clinging to my fur itched like crazy. I just wanted to rip the damn thing off and find my overalls, for godsake. I didn't want to do this! Not today! Not without a teleprompter giving me lines... what was I supposed to say? "Hey, mom! I know you put me up for adoption because I'm a disgrace to your name, but I want us to be a big happy family anyway! Grouphug!"

I looked at my sister for a little courage. She nodded happily, giving me a thumbs-up. She didn't look bad in her black pinstriped suit with the matching skirt. I mean, black was her color. And even though white was mine, I hated the sight of myself in it. Bad enough she was making me wear make-up...

I jumped when a smaller door within the door opened, and a butler ushered us inside. Even the help wore expensive suits in this place... where I came from, you were lucky to have something nice to wear to church besides the regulation brown dress from the orphanage.

"Her Ladyship and his Lordship are in the master library, Lady Karpa..." the pompous mouse butler announced, then looking to me and smiling stonily. " 'And' Lady Tarsa."

We stepped through those elaborate oaken doors, and I drew a deep breath as I saw the backs of my parents' heads. That was all it took. I was so nervous I could have wet myself...

------------------------------------

Back to the present... The courtyard outside Knothole Castle's Promenade.

She frowned down at the dark form as it crossed the pink marble. Clutching her scabbard while perched on a branch, she slowly slid her gold-plated kitana from its sheath...

Espio jerked at the sound, stopping midstride. Instinctively, he slipped a throwing-star from his sleeve to his hand...

Simultaneously, the red panda dropped gracefully from the tree and the chameleon swung fluidly into stance. The two faced each other as newfound foes.

A minute seemingly stretched to an hour as the two stared each other down, Aka was wearing her favorite white stealth suit with many zippers and our bodyguard was in his uniform of black. He wondered for a moment if the suit would be a disadvantage to his maneuverability...

With a sudden quick cry, the assassin advanced spinning and bringing the sword down against a notch in his throwing star, this of course the result of a parry from Espio. She smirked, slashing at him again in an instant, causing him to leap back, dropping his small weapon in surprise. He growled low. Until now he had never lost his concentration. She would pay dearly...

He reached inside his coat and pulled from their opposite sheaths his long knives, crossing them with a crisp clang. Both were still for another agonizing minute...

Poe saw her chance. She raised her gun silently from her hiding spot on the roof above, centering the laser on the back of his skull...

As he stared into his opponent's eyes and watched her calculate her next attack, he saw them shift ever so slightly upward.

_'DAMN! What is she doing here?'_ Aka thought silently, returning her steady glare to the reptile.

She lunged once more, blade singing through the air. She stumbled in surprise as her target disappeared.

"POE!"

The accused lowered her gun sheepishly, gulping.

Before the bird could escape, Aka had scaled the wall and was perched on a rail, her long blade centimeters from Poe's face. She looked up in terror, eyes crossed as her attention was centered on her very-possible rapid death.

"I should eradicate you now for what you've done."

"C- c- come on, Aka... think of how long we've known each-"

"That was MY fight! Do you know NOTHING of the code?"

"Code? What code? I..."

"Of course a gai-jin like you would know nothing of the Bushido!" she glared down at her with fire in her light brown eyes, the slant to them making her scowl all the more sharp and terrifying.

"Aka, I'm... I'm deeply sorry... I only intended to help..."

"Help by killing the Princess when my work is done. She is a worthy target for you, weak and unassuming. The chameleon is MINE."

Poe fell to her knees, shaking. "Ok...ok...he's yours..."

She drew her sword away, sheathing it with a click.

"Never again."

"I promise..."

She gave her one last sneer before dropping from the roof and out of her sight. Poe gasped with relief, falling to her back. Aka would have done it too...

--------------------------------

I was about to start the day off with one of those good-Samaritan acts you hear about, you know, where the reward is the happy look on the person-in- need's face, when a sudden idea struck me.

How can I make Knuckles' life a living hell?

Staring at computer screens gives you eye strain or cataracts or one of those technical medical whatchahoosits, and it's boring besides. I have much better things to do... like play pointless computer games and listen to illegal downloaded music... Ahh, what would I do without you, Kazaa? Oh, and generally waste time. Everything I do with an actual deadline is last-minute work and I am known for my speed... well, not in ALL areas... Stop looking at me like that... Where was I? Yes! I decided to give my amiable red friend a visit... and deliver this letter I got from... Tusk...Tuscany? Isn't that in India or Russia or one of those obscure and eventless areas? Hell if I know. Anyway it was from Tarsa and it WAS to him, so let's take a break and go give it to him, shall we?

"Tails! Get your... uhhh.. that helicopter-like-thing ready."

"My gyrotating elevation module?"

"Is THAT what you call it? How about we call it something like the Monsoon or the Cyclone or..."

"T.T where are we going?" he asked, interrupting me in the midst of my inspirationative moment. Wait, that's not a word... ok, now it is.

"Angel Island!"

"...why?"

"Why does it matter?" I shouted up to him as I erased the mail-to name on the envelope, replacing it with a much more fitting one... heh heh...

He sighed exaggeratedly and trudged down the stairs.

"I'll go _get_ it..."

Wow, _someone's_ PMS-ing today... Anyhoo, I had more deviant things to plan. At least I'd get a good laugh out of it... and hopefully evade his flying fists fast enough. I had to admit, this one would be a little lame for me, but we often to strange inexplicable things when bored now, don't we?

(((Ok, it's late and I'm slowly going insane because my young cousin is talking incessantly about Harvest Moon and farting into kazoos. (he got that from Richard the pedantic's fic, BTW) I shall attempt to write more tomorrow. Happy mother's grandmother's, aunt's, second-cousin's who just had a baby and the nice lady across the street's day. Reminding you that you have to buy gifts for all of them. Nighty-night.)))


	5. Dear John

(((ok, I think I have the whole story pretty much laid out in my mind. The only issue I have to deal with: I have absolutely NO idea how it ends, but then again, that's how I usually am. I like to keep my options open and we'll burn that bridge when we get to it.))

Shadow: -shuddering- metaphors...

Oh, and if you haven't noticed, ffnet ditched my farce, so if you'd like to read it, email me. ALSO, ffnet no longer supports asterisks, wavy-line thingeys, underscores, at-signs or anything else that makes my work MINE.

Sonic: no more faces, huh?

Right. And my little scenechange figures are bye-bye. Anyway, my asterisks are replaced byhyphens and you'll just have to live with it. I am.

Knuckles: AND ONE MORE THING!

Sh: grapes, right?

K: nuu! Aeyvi has an announcement proclamation notice thing -whispered- go ahead, Aeyvi-kun -little closed-eyed happy-face-

Sigh, she sighed. I wish those people weren't so fucking difficult. When my site's up I SWEAR I'm moving everything and you'll see it there (along with pictures of my chars.) BUT ONTO MY ANNOUNCEMENT! Periodically, (as recently I have done) I will post notices and updates in my bio and in reviews on my own work, especially since I haven't been ALLOWED to post anything for a week or so. -gives ffnet manager people a big double-birdie- and this is an outrage ESPECIALLY since I am a PAYING CUSTOMER G-DAMNIT -refuses to take the Lord's name in vain and crosses herself- (my characters do it and it doesn't mean I have to)... anywhelp, this chapter will be very nice indeed, especially with a white or blush wine, preferably a rather sweet riesling, but I'll accepta white merlottoo.

Espio: ...what?

If you think I own any part of Sonic enterprises incorporated and company you're all officially diagnosed with Down's syndrome. Have a pleasant evening.

_Chapter 5- Dear John..._

I really wished I hadn't been in the room at the moment when Aka's cell rang. Her red cell. _The_ cell of which only one person had the number to. The voice.

Kai looked at me with this weird wide-eyed-eyebrow-raised expression, her earflaps snapping open. Yes, she felt the same as I did, I could tell. Even though Kai's a little...um...strange, we get along. We can understand each other. It's like there's us two...and Aka. Not really a threesome of assassins, just two hitgirls and miss holier-than-thou. Anyway, the cell kept ringing...

"Sir." She said all professional and military-like. I almost laughed, but I like my head where it is.

"Aka my dear, how are you doing?" the tone of that guy's voice just makes me sick to my stomach. You never know when he's pissed at you until your team mate is ordered to kill you.

"uh...fine."

"Good, good...Aka, you know you're my favorite...and you're doing an excellent job. I know you could have Princess Acorn dead tomorrow...but..."

Uh-oh. A 'but'.

"Sir, please understand! The bodyguard-"

"...is no longer your concern."

Oh yeah. That girl was sweatin' bullets.

"W...wh...what do you mean?"

"Aka, Aka, Aka... I just said you were my favorite! Do you really have that little trust in me?"

"N-no, sir. Of course not."

"Good..." He purred. I hate it when he purrs. "I have something more your genre, Aka, something that might be more of a challenge for you..."

"Go on..."

There was this tense pause. You could have cut the air with a butterknife.

"I want you to obliterate the entire Fairchild line... but keep the two heiresses alive until I give you further instruction. The plane ticket will be under your door tomorrow morning. Your flight leaves at nine."

"Sir, yes sir. Mission accepted." I could see her obvious disappointment.

"Now, Aka, the current mission will carry on without you. This task is yours alone. Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Of course, sir."

"I want Poe to take out the princess, but only after Kai finishes the bodyguard. Pass it on, won't you?"

Those brown eyes stabbed right across the room at Kai. If looks could kill, she would be a nine-month old corpse at that instant. Come to think of it...ewww...

"Sir, yes sir."

"Have fun, my darling. I know you will."

And I guess he hung up because she threw the phone against the wall.

----------cries because she misses her little flowery thing...-

Boy, Sonic can be a pain sometimes. Ok, that's a given, but today he was intolerable! Ugh, why do I hang around him so much? How did I ever look up to him like that? Ok, he's my bestest buddy and I'm not downing him...oh, wait...yes I am. Damn. I'm confused again. Ok, anyway, I was piloting my outdated gyrotating elevation module (now dubbed the Tsunami, thank you, Sonic.) and heading straight for Angel Island for who knows WHAT ungodly purpose, whilst Sonic took full advantage of the surround-sound stereo I installed and playing Jet louder than normal eardrums can endure.

"COLD HARD BITCH! JUS' A KISS ON THA LIPS AN' I WAS ON MY KNEES-"

"TURN IT DOWN! THE EAR IS A DELICATE ORGAN!"

"WHAAAAT?"

I shut the damned thing off, giving him hopefully one of my more daunting glares. He pouted.

Ok, here's what I don't understand: I'm twelve. He's nineteen. I'm the adult and he's the child. Why?

"LOOK! We're here!" Sonic shouted, pointing.

"Whatever you have planned, I am NOT involved. You hear me? NOT INVOLVED. NEUTRAL."

"Whatever." He opened the hatch and let himself out before I had finished the landing sequence...to which I growled...and sped off in search of Knuckles. God save poor Knuckles.

I followed as fast as my fluffy tails could flutter (ah! Alliteration! I'm a poet an' I don't know it!) and we soon fell upon the large and technologically advanced structure that was Knuckles' redesigned abode. I envy him. Of course, Sonic burst rudely through the door without knocking or ringing or at least saying "Hey, I'm going to burst suddenly and rudely through your front door, don't kill me!" which he would, probably, right after urinating himself in shock. I mean, if I were Knuckles, I'd be pretty spooked if I spent every day in quiet solitude and someone suddenly burst through my door. Ah, then he'd hopefully act on instinct and knock the living daylights out of him. I could only pray...

"KNUX! DUDE! I gotta letter for...uhh..."

The house was strangely quiet... and dark. All the shades were drawn and there were a few empty liquor bottles lying about. On the center of the small coffee table there lay a photograph. Sonic went further into the house in search of him while I ventured to see what the picture might depict. Big surprise, it was Tarsa. Actually a picture of them both sitting on a hospital bed, bandaged and grinning at each other. Cute. She was perfect for him. As I held the picture I couldn't help but feel a stab of sympathy. Poor guy... Two months with no word... he probably thought she'd moved on. His self-esteem had been dropping considerably in the past months. I guess that's what happens when you get a girlfriend, though I wouldn't know. (Don't want to either. Complicated creatures...)

"He ain't here." Sonic said, appearing from the bathroom.

"Isn't. He _isn't_ here."

"Didn't I just say that?"

"sigh."

He looked around for a moment, hand to forehead in a distraught posture. No one to guard the Master Emerald. He must either be pretty depressed or extremely hammered. I envisioned him stumbling about the island somewhere, God forbid he had thrown himself from the cliff in despair. I doubted it. But it all depended on exactly how much he had to drink.

"Go search the island. If he's not here, I'll start up the shield and we'll go looking for him down below." I stated. He nodded a little nervously, trotting out the door and sprinting off towards the treeline.

I had a pretty good idea where he might be if he wasn't here.

-----------cries some more-

Two months previous in the sky over an ocean...

My heart was pounding in my ears. I could feel the adrenaline rushing from my brain, causing my limbs to twitch with excitement. Finally... Finally...I'm ready for this... I know it...

All the intense training I had undergone, all of the tests and trials, the simulations... sure, it wasn't my prime directive or anything. I guessed they'd fill me in on that later. But right here, right now, I was lucky to be strapped to my seat because I was about ready to blast off without the pod.

I squealed with glee as I heard them begin the countdown, squirming in my restraints. Twenty-seven... twenty-six...

"Maria! Maria! I'm gonna do it! All by myself!" I shouted into the receiver on the side of my head.

"I know, Shadow. I'll be watching you. Remember to keep an eye on your air supply. If you're too excited..." she warned with a worried-mother tone.

"Yeah yeah, I know I know. Respiration tends to be more rapid under a stimulus, but I got, like, two weeks-worth of O2! I'll be fine!"

"I'm trusting you on this... remember to brace yourself. It's going to get up to at least three and a half G's during liftoff..."

"Mariaaaa..." I whined.

Twelve... eleven...

"Keep a clear head. I'm going to close connection until after liftoff. Be careful!"

I heard the beep verifying that communication had been closed. Eight...seven...six...

"Shadow?"

"Three...two...one! IGNITION!" I screamed, grasping my harness tightly and clenching my eyes in anticipation. This is it. This is it. I'm grown-up now. This is it.

The pod shuddered forcefully as it wrenched itself from the lunch pad. I was thrown against the padding of the seat by the extensive gravitational pull, and the large window in front of me was temporarily filled with bright fire. My little feet pounded the floor of the pod rapidly as I found myself unable to breathe for a few moments. Fear and excitement both chilled and enthralled my fragile brain as I watched the vastness of space fling itself at me. My eyes widened and I gasped for air as I shot into the blackness...

"Shadow, she wants to know what you'd like to drink. You'd said you were thirsty earlier..."

My eyes popped open and I involuntarily jerked in my seat, gaining my bearings on reality. What was that? As dreams often go, this one was fleeting and I was unable to recall any of it. All except...

"Uhh... water's fine I guess." I rubbed my face, trying to regain feeling in it. If my fur weren't so dark, I might have looked pale. The more I chased after the dream, the further it fled from my mind. Maria... who's Maria? Was she my mother? No... no. I don't have one. That's impossible...

I had been granted the isle seat, thank God. Tarsa, who had never before flown in a plane, got the window seat. She had been glued to the window for the first three hours, but as it started to get dark, she settled down and dozed off. Karpa had been reading from Mary Stuart's "The Crystal Cave." I'll have to get her to let me borrow it one day. Something in my mind clicked. Maria. Something about books... and Maria... Maybe I was remembering pieces of my past. Whatever the case, I was too spent at the moment to bother with it. My head ached from the uncomfortable seat and the position my neck had been bent at for an indiscernible period. I hate airline hospitality. And this was only the first time I had been subjected to it.

That reminds me...

"Karpa..." I hooked a finger on the binding of her book and lowered it, giving her a serious look in the eyes.

"What? What's wrong?"

"We need to talk."

She removed her small spectacles and frowned at me softly. I continued.

"I need to know exactly what you're plans are here. You know I'm not settling down. No matter what you do."

She nodded slowly, a little disappointment creeping into her fair face.

"I need to know how long this is going to last. Now, I'm sure you've been thinking about it. And all I have to say is... well, I do."

She blinked in confusion. "you... do what?"

"I..." this was difficult. I was a changed person since I met her. A change for the worse, I believed, but in some aspects also for the better. I had to get this out in the open. There's just no avoiding it. It's what I felt.

"I lo..." Ok, this was hard. I didn't want to say it. Everything I was protested against it. But... but... not everything in my life has to be logical does it? Just say it and get it over with.

"I love you, Karpa." This said in a hurried low voice. I sat back again, folding my arms and feeling warmth spread across my face. I prayed she didn't see me blushing...

She was silent for a very long moment. I don't think I've ever been as nervous in my life. It's like I just cut the red wire and I was waiting for the bomb to either go dormant... Or explode.

I gasped as I felt her arms wrap tightly around my shoulders. I couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

"Hmm? We there yet?" Tarsa croaked, stretching and blinking tiredly at us.

"No, you can go back to sleep. Still another four hours to the first stop." Kapra informed her. She drew back a little, an arm still across my shoulders. She was smiling, generally smiling at me. Not the provocative smirk or deviant grin she usually cracked, but an honest smile and a shine to her beautiful pale eyes... She felt the same. She felt the same. Oh God... thank you...

Tarsa had settled back in her sleeping position and already had begun to snore softly. Karpa chuckled as she leaned closer to me, kissing me ever so delicately. I felt my heart jump a beat. I kissed back a little less gently, raising a hand to glide across her cheek... I did. I really loved her. Is that so strange? Is it so hard to believe? The question that remained, of course, was...

Could I spend the rest of my life with her?

And... exactly how long was that?

-o- -sobs piteously-

Two months later in a bar at Station Square...

Thank the merciful Lord for alcohol.

As I felt my senses numb over, I had to appreciate the strong, bitter and welcoming flavor of the tequila as it stung in my throat. Ahhh, there it is. Blessed blessed drunkenness. I didn't have to think about women or the stupid fucking emerald or Sonic or Ma... Oh, lordy, anything but Ma. Glad she can't see me now. My agenda for the evening was to get wasted and go to bed with some nameless person... preferably female. Much preferably.

"Sweetest goodbye" came over the bar radio and it resounded throughout the pretty-much empty bar. Gawd, not that song... I was doing so well... Time to go before I start to fucking bawl like a gawdamn woman.

"Hey... man, how musch I owe ya?"

"A twenty'll do. You ok getting home, Knux?" my good friend Tony the rat asked. I wasn't going home...

"Yeah, man. It ain't far." I grabbed the keys to Tempest II and slid off the barstool. Wow, I never knew walking could be so hard to do...

"Knux, hold up, I'll call you a cab."

"Whaddabout my fucking bike? I ain't gunna leave it out there. You're crazy." And with that, I staggered out the door.

o:o (used to be the two squigglies with an asterisk in the middle. Change scene and time but same character focus.)

I didn't know where I was going. I was just riding. Wherever the Tempest wanted to go, I guess. It's amazing how well I can steer, even under the influence. The street was completely deserted. The asphalt was now my personal playground...

Just when I was beginning to have a little fun, there was this loud clap of thunder overhead. Aww, gee, thanks, man. Thanks a lump. The rain, of course, began to pour. I swore slurredly a few times before turning for the nearest exit. Hell, I didn't care if I was lost. What would it matter?

The street I was going down looked familiar. Sycamore... Where did I hear that before?

"5910 Sycamore, building 13..." I skidded to a stop, slipping on the wet street and earning myself a painful crash. I didn't need that leg anyway. Crawling out from under my bike, I gazed up, blinking against the rain, at the apartment building. Fifth floor, third window to the right. There was a small crown-of-thorns plant in the window. Those things are tough to kill, but she hadn't been there to water it in two months... So it looked a little yellow. You let it die, you stupid bitch...

I actually forgot it was raining for a moment. I stood with a little difficulty, picked up a rock, (it may have been an acorn, I didn't really notice) and tossed it at the window. I don't know what I was expecting to happen. I guess I was kind of hoping she'd open the blinds. I just wanted to see her face...

I picked up something else and threw it harder. Damnit, if I have to break that window I will...

Nothing. Gee, big surprise, right? Still, I was extremely drunk and it didn't all make sense at the moment. I wanted her back. I wanted her back bad. I didn't want to think about the fact that maybe she had found someone better, someone richer and 'prettier' and smarter and...

And there it goes. I sobbed, then screamed at that fucking empty window.

"YOU LET IT DIE!"

Don't ask me why I felt such remorse for the neglected plant. I don't think that's why I was so pissed and depressed at the moment. I hate that feeling...

"Knuckles!"

"T...Tails?"

Sure enough, the kid had found me. Damnitall. Now he's going to think I'm off my fucking block. I turned to look at him, swaying a little. Act sober! Act sober! Aww, geesus.

"We thought you were... Well, I'm just glad I found you! Are you ok?" the poor kid was worried sick.

"Yeah, yeah, a-course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Just then the idiot came bounding up, then stopped to pant for a minute. Jackass...

"You weren't on the island, so we looked in all the nearby bars. When we didn't find you there we came here."

"Why would you be looking for me?"

"We assumed you were drunk." Tails said, pretty bluntly too.

"Lemme alone, man... I'm fine."

"Bullshit." Sonic stated. Also rather bluntly.

"Come on, Knux. Let's get out of the rain. The ... 'Tsunami' is right over here..."

I decided to humor the little fucker. In starting to walk, I realized I had a limp. Damn leg... If it's broken I'm gonna be super-pissed...

They sat me down in the thing and Tails looked my leg over. Sonic popped up like he remembered something and pulled a beaten-up letter from behind a seat.

"I got a letter today, man."

I perked up. Tarsa?

"Yeah, but it's addressed to a mister Munster..."

"Munster? What?"

"...a mister Herman Munster..."

If I weren't so hammered I woulda' reached over and clapped that bastard upside the head a few times, but to tell the truth, I didn't even care.

"It's from Tarsa though, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to that." He held it away, tearing it open and unfolding the letter.

"She has the worst penmanship..." he squinted at the thing, then gave an "ah!"

"Here... it says: 'Dear John...'"

"WHAT?"

(((just in case you didn't know, a "Dear John" letter is the age old girlfriend's "I'm breaking up with you, it's not you it's me" speech. Tra la laaaa! I quite enjoyed making this chapter I did! It's wubulus and funderful! Ok, review and I shall be happy as trees!))

Sn: trees...happy trees...


	6. Confrontation

((I'm so glad I'm "allowed" to post again. You probably guessed that in the long period in which I was absent, I typed all of this in anticipation, neh. Guess what else? The whole Shadow-as-a-kid-in-a-spaceship thing was inspired by...:drumroll: EPCOT! The mission space ride is soooo fucking cool! I actually did character advocate that whole day, but it was too easy to envision a chibi Shadowness all psyched and hyper ready to blast off into space. The little foot-pounding thing was me... I was excited, neh. And I thought, what would a hedgehog do in this situation? Muscle memory told the legs to RUN! Anyway, I liked that chapter. This one is all planned out as well. So, let's get to it, shall we?))

Knuckles: but, we didn't get to say anything...

Sonic: yeah, and chilidogs.

K: ...stop copying me...

Sn: I'm not copying you. Then I'd have to say grapes.

K: GASP! You said grapes!

Sn:...have you been drinking red bull again?

K: YES!-!-!-!

Sn: ...by the over-usage of punctuation, I'd say the echidna speaks truth. Bad. Bad Knuckles. No milkbone.

K: ...what?

: Sally: yay, I'm on someone's hit list. Anyway, by the royal power vested in me I hereby denounce on Aeyvi's account any ownership to Sonic or anything pertaining to him save her own creations. :

A: that was lovely, Sal-sal.

Sa: yeah, I've had some practice...

_Chapter 6- Confrontation_

The scene opens on a quiet castle, a lamp-lit graveyard bearing the remains of royalty. The night was waning slowly, and the time may have been about three or four in the morning. The chill still clung to the darkness, materializing in the form of some stray mist gliding sparsely over the tombstones and undisturbed resting places. This was where he went to train.

High up in a large oak, he dangled a foot, sharpening one of his beloved knives. The eerie atmosphere didn't faze him in the least. He didn't believe in walking dead. Living dead, on the other hand, he'd seen. That still made him shudder occasionally.  
He watched the coarse stone slide along the smooth, bright surface, hearing the clear chime of the blade. Sharp enough to cut through bone with little difficulty. Holding up the knife, he looked momentarily at his own reflection. Hello... Who are you? Hell if I know. He chuckled, sheathing one weapon and pulling out the other.

He almost dropped the knife as a whirring sound was heard, jerking out of the way as something wrapped itself around the trunk where he had just been. He leapt from the tree, whipping the second knife out once more.

"Coward! Show yourself!"

A dark form could be seen against the mist, lit from behind by the orange of the electric lights. The silhouette showed the being wore a long trench coat and a hat, tipped at an angle, the rim of one side pinned up. It stood for a moment silently.

Espio crouched as the humanoid form bounded to the branch he had occupied and removed its weapon from the tree. In looking at it from his current view, he could see the weapon was made of four leather balls and a length of sinuous string.The figure swung the thing over its head expertly, one hand outstretched to keep the target.

Espio just shook his head and smiled. They really thought they had a chance...

In an instant, the chameleon was gone from sight.

A feminine chuckle could be heard from the form; she stepped off the branch and landed as if she had only taken a step.

"You can't hide that way anymore, Espio...Not as long as you're heart's beating..."

Two large membranous flaps extended from her head.  
_'Her again,'_ he thought.

He had to swerve out of the way as the bowlies were flung at him again. She reached for her back and pulled out a large, bladed boomerang.

"Nowhere to hide..."

Kai stepped casually to the side as several throwing stars whistled past.

"Desperate, are we?" she chuckled as she swung back, wrist bent, then launched the boomerang with surprising force.

Espio had to bend backward to avoid the spinning blades. This caused him to fall, rather unfortunately, into an open grave.

She caught the boomerang skillfully, chuckling as she put it away, picking up a shovel as she walked slowly to her prey.

He lay still for a moment, trying to quiet his rapid breath. He could hear the light footfalls of the assassin, taking her sweet time. He looked up at her grinning face as she gazed down at him, shovel in hand.

"I appreciate your courtesy. You make things much easier, you know? Shooting snakes in a barrel! And when I'm done, you'll have a nice grave, too."

"Not yet."

The chameleon leapt from the gaping hole, tackling the basilisk lizard. The two reptiles tumbled to the ground in a haphazard wrestling match. He managed to get some good punches in, but she kneed him sharply in the groin, causing him to falter. His concentration was not broken, though, and he cracked his forehead against hers. She cried out in pain, slamming her gloved fist into the side of his head. He cracked their skulls together once more before pinning her to the damp grass, locking his legs around hers.

"It appears we're at a draw, my good friend." she said breathlessly, turning her head to spit a mouthful of blood. She chuckled, turning back to him, her teeth stained red.

"I don't want to have to kill you, but if you're going to persist, I'll have no choice."

"An appropriate place to die, wouldn't you agree?" she laughed, pressing her body up against his.  
"You don't want to kill me...I don't doubt you have many plans for me, but you don't want to kill me..."

"What 'plans' do you think I have?" he asked, frowning.

She grinned, biting at a swelling lip. "all sorts of plans..." she arched her neck and kissed him suddenly.

This, being very unexpected, caused our practiced ninja to lose his concentration, lose his invisibility; and lose his hold on her.

She kicked him away with little difficulty, rising to her feet and wiping the blood from her mouth angrily. Espio stood hastily as well, spitting the blood that had transferred when she had kissed him.

"Do you have any idea how indescribably repelling that was? To think I had to kiss a man to save my own life... and YOU of all men..." She reached behind her once more, whipping out her hugecurved knife.  
"I shall cut off your tongue for that, and keep it in a jar as a trophy."

"Wait a minute, you kissed me!"

He evaded her first attack, grabbing her wrist and twisting her around, snatching her other wrist in the process. Before she knew it, she was kneeling on the ground with her back to her opponent, both arms caught in a painful knot held together by the bodyguard.

"Who sent you? And don't lie to me this time!"

"I came on my own."

She cried out as he tightened the lock, and a soft cracking sound was heard.

"WE NEVER SEE HIS FACE! HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW WHO HE BLOODY IS?"

He thought this over for a moment, ignoring her loud growls of pain.

"I'll let you go if you promise never to come for me again."

"Alright. We'll be here all night then." She laughed painfully, clenching her sharp teeth in a mix between a grimace and a grin.

"You're impossible..." he hissed.

"That's what they tell me."

He let her go, turning his back on her.

"If you persist, you will die. It is a certainty."

"Oh, it is, is it? You think you can kill me?"

"Obviously you think you can kill me."

"I don't _think_ I can, you bleeding ninny...I know I can. I'll get around to it..." she glanced at her watch. "But unfortunately, I'm off the clock as of the moment. Tomorrow morning at one?"

Espio smirked deviously. "It's a date."

And with that, the assassin calmly retrieved her bowlies and walked away, slinging them over her shoulder.

"That..." Espio said to himself once he was alone again, "was interesting."

-o-

"WHAT?" Knuckles had shouted incredulously.

In looking over the note again, I corrected myself.

"Oh, wait, sorry. That's not what it says! Silly me!" and I ducked to evade a punch.

"Ok, seriously. 'Hey, Knux. Guess who? Ok, anyway, yeah. Sorry for not writing. You must think I'm some kind of evil bitch, huh? Well, just because I haven't written doesn't mean I'm not still thinking of you'...oooo...this part's juicy...want me to go on?"

He snatched it from my hands. In looking at the following sentence, he blushed. Ha ha! I wonder what happened in the airport bathroom anyway... Ok, focus! Telling a story here... I watched as he continued to read. I guess it was good news because he looked relieved, and when he'd finished it he held it to his chest and sighed. Awwh! He misses his hunni! I was about to make a joke but he realized how he must've looked and set the letter down, glaring at me an' Tails.

"Where's the envelope?"

I handed it to him and he shook it. Three pieces of paper drifted into his lap.

"She sent three round-trip tickets to her parents' country. For some reason she wondered if you guys would like to come." he was obviously displeased.

"Ok, tell ya what, let's get you home and you can decide when you're sober." I offered. Whether he liked it or not, that's what was going to happen. He nodded sadly in defeat, climbing into the back of the Tsunami. What a cool name if I may say so myself.

For the next ten to twenty minutes, Tails and I struggled with Knux's bitchin-ass bike. For such a bitchin-ass bike, it sure was a heavy bastard. We finally managed to stuff it into the small storage dock and were soon on our way back to the Island. I guess I kinda hoped nothing had happened there while we were gone. I doubted it.

-o-

Three weeks previous in Tuskanon...

Well, Mum and Daddy took to Tarsa instantly. In fact, my mother gave her a hug before any words were exchanged. That's a little unlike her, but you have to understand she hadn't seen her own daughter in twenty years...

Now that the catching-up was well under way, I left them alone with her. I supposed they needed time to get to know her. Anyway, I was beginning to wonder where my Shadow had got to... it was a rather large estate, covering thirty-seven acres house and stables alone. Not to mention the servant's quarters and the vast land our line owned... but I won't brag, not I.

He had said something about going to find his room. I, of course gave him directions to my private wing (yes, I have my own wing), being that I fully expected him to be bedding down with me. That's not selfish is it? I guess he thought it might be inappropriate. Ah, I'm sure I can get my dear parents to understand. I AM a big girl now, heh heh...

I was on my way to help in preparations for dinner (which would no doubt be an event in itself) when I saw the large door to the "play room" open. Ok, I dubbed it that. The CORRECT title for it would be the master garage, but one keeps their toys in the play room...

"I see you've found the Diablo." I observed, flicking on a light to expose the culprit. Sure enough he was reclining in the leather seats of my favorite deep black Lamborghini, hands gripping the wheel and an expression of ecstasy crossing his hard features.  
"Exactly how I felt when I first sat in it." I chuckled.

"Karpa... Can I marry you now?"

Oh, how I'd wished he were serious.

"Not until you help with dinner."

He looked at his reflection in the rear-view mirror, slipping a hand to the stick shift.

"One test drive?"

"Out. Now."

Damn him, he gave me one of those seductive smirks, raising an eyebrow. He patted the seat next to him, beckoning me.

"If you think I'm going to do THAT on Italian leather..."

"I could find some plastic to lay over it..."

I had to laugh at that one. "Shadow, no means no. We'll have time for that later." I winked, resting a hand on my hip. He sighed and raised the door- they open vertically, you see- and reluctantly got out. He looked around, marveling at my other 'toys,' my red Plymoth Prowler, the powder blue Ferrari 360Spider, the pearl white 1967 RollsRoyce Silver Cloud that belonged to my mother...then to my prized Porche Speedster in deep gold, black and red flame decals on the hood and sides.

"That's my baby." I mused, smiling proudly.

"Speedster, huh? Heh...I'll show you a real speedster..."

It took my brain a moment to react to the sudden tight embrace. He had been at least several yards from me a second ago... he truly was a fast one... but I quickly responded, kissing back with more passion than necessary... Oh, come on, Karpie! We don't have time for this!

"Shadow... Shadow, as much as I want to continue... Dinner's in an hour and..."

He sighed, giving me one last peck before drawing away and walking to the door.

"I'm getting that test drive..."

"Yes, yes, fine. To the kitchen."

My basic duty in the kitchen and dining hall was to make sure everything looked right. I'd fired the woman in charge of that a long time ago. My mother is a perfectionist and only I can satiate her when it comes to presentation. A seven course meal in Tarsa's honor... good lord, she wouldn't even be able to fully appreciate the gesture! Escargot, seven varieties of caviar, these were things I'm almost sure she had never come in close contact with. In fact, I'm sure she didn't even know what escargot was...

Maybe it was better if she didn't know at all...

I sensed disaster coming on...and a headache...

-o-

It's true I don't get many breaks, or very often at that, but the exercise session I had the night before earned me at least a few drinks...

It's hard to think of me as a drinking man... I'm not really... I try not to let the stress of my job get to me. But for the first time in my life, I was the target... not my client.

I finished off the small pitcher of sake (the thing only holds about four shots) and ordered another. Damn American-made shit doesn't hit me like the authentic kind. The trick is to make it hot, not lukewarm as Japanese custom permits. It absorbs faster... I guess... who the hell cares? I was on my third little pitcher and I had begun to find little use of the tiny cup they gave me, just downing the whole damn four shots in one gulp. I'll take time to savor it another day.

It was virtually the only bar in town that served sake, a little fancy place that had been a real bitch to find. It's fortunate my salary permitted a little indulgence now and then... I was alone for the most part. Some old tippler sat across from me, playing with his gold watch. Hiding from the missus? No doubt. I stared blankly at the little empty pitcher, thinking about that damned assassin. She reeked of Australian influence. She even used genuine Aborigine weapons. Such skill I had never before seen. I only hoped she'd give up and leave me alone... such hopes influenced by the alcohol which was finally setting in...

I heard the door open and shut behind me, apathetic to whoever it might be. The newcomer sat next to me, though, which was a little annoying. I looked up, swaying slightly.

In the next instant, I had stumbled off the barstool and had drawn my gun. Reflexes are getting a little slow... Oh fuck...

It was the assassin, of course. She just turned her head to look at me, frowning slightly in confusion.

"What?"

"WHAT? What do you mean WHAT?"

Her frown just deepened as if she were worried for my mental health, then she turned to the barkeep.

"Two doubleshots of wild turkey...an' give one of 'em to this guy. I think he needs it."

I stood there in rising bewilderment, hyperventilating and trying to make sense of it all through my slowly-draining mind. She's buying me a drink. Okaayy...

"Come on, then. Sit. I won't bite." She beckoned, jerking her head to the seat next to her.

Logic had left me at that moment. What the fuck. She didn't look too bad... and she wasn't trying to kill me... and she was buying me a drink.

I sat next to her, putting my gun back into its holster and taking the glass that had been placed in front of me. I finished it off in one gulp, then looked to her for an explanation.

"There, now. Isn't that better?" she asked, grinning.

"Why?"

"Why? Oh, why am I not killing you! That's actually a good question..." She looked to the TV above the bar absently.

"You didn't answer it."

"Oh, I thought I did." She raised an arm and pointed to her watch. "Off the clock. We don't have to be enemies until tomorrow morning at one." She then gave me a hearty pat on the back. "And besides, I haven't had a drinking buddy for awhile...he died... oh, that's sad..." She gulped her whiskey, pounding the glass on the bartop.

"One more round, my good fellow!"

Well, that's an Australian for you. I accepted the next drink gladly, my rising confusion needed to be drowned and quickly. She tapped her glass against mine, and we both emptied our doubleshots simultaneously.

"I give up trying to figure you out." I said, feeling a slur coming on.

"Most people do."

"I see why." We sat in silence for a moment. The mixture of whiskey and sake giving me courage, I decided to ask a bold question.

"Just out of curiosity... Do you have a boyfriend?"

She looked at me for a moment, mouth pursed as if she were trying not to laugh.

"No, can't say as I've ever had one."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I find men to be better friends..."

"How's that?"

"We agree on many things."

This was interesting. I prodded further.

"Like what?"

"Women are one, confusing and two, fun to play with. So therefore this makes them three, very desirable."

It just hit me. She was a dyke.

I lay my head on my arms for a moment, staring at the wooden surface of the bartop, trying to figure out why I was disappointed.

"Hey, man, thanks for the drink." I said without looking up.

"No worries!" she said gleefully. "Just one more round."

"Sure, alright."

(((LAA! Another wonderful chapter! Was that one longer than usual? I can't tell. Anyhoot, it's been fun and review. BTW, Pat the Kitsune... how old are you? because if you're under 17 I'm going to have to spank your little hiney! Shame shame shame.))

Sonic: and more shame!


	7. Ready for Anything

((and yet another chapter written in my absence. I hate those ffnet people, I do. I hope they're reading this. Oh, wait, it might be "illegal" to diss ffnet! They're gonna ground me again! Fuck you, communist bastards. Ok, I'm done being pissed. Let me just say that no matter what anyone says, I don't care how immature my subject may seem. I try to bring realism to an unreal subject. This story is meant to be surreal in the reality aspect, when you stop to think about it... Hell, Stephen King was accused of being immature in his early years! Don't blame me for writing what I feel. This is just what comes out when I touch finger to keyboard.)))

Sonic: wait, don't tell me... Your parents read your work?

A:-sigh- what do you think?

Knuckles: don't worry about it. He just calls anything he doesn't understand immature.

A: Knuxieness, that was mean. Shame on you.

K: ... What?

Shadow: she said grapes.

K: ooohhh, I see.

: if I owned Sonic you'd be seeing my stories in comics and their stock would be going through the roof. Ok, I'm just a leetle cocky... :

_Chapter 7- Ready for Anything_

Tuskanon. What an insult. He thought I was better suited for some soft-footed aristocrats than an actual warrior. He had skill... And I had only been permitted a taste of it. I hoped Kai would fail badly. I wanted to see her decapitated body at the morgue when they brought me to identify it. That gai-jin makes me sick...

I found myself looking up at the elaborate structure of the Fairchild estate, shrouded in fog at the moment. I had to wait for the right time, and kill them in the right order. These things require such preparations. I had done this so many times before it was beginning to sink in as instinct, requiring little thought. That's what makes me such a successful assassin.

Cerebus, Ulna, Karpa, Tarsa, Radien, Patella ... There were more living in that household. The Fairchild family, like any royal family, lived only within the borders of their estate. Tradition ruled their everyday lives. And now that the two heiresses had returned, they too would perhaps share the fate of their predecessors. Well, not anymore. I assumed they would die by my hand eventually, if not as soon as their close relatives...

Cerebus and his wife Ulna would be the first. Then Radien, the younger brother of Cerebus. Excluding his wife, the next would be his daughter, Patella. The list went on, but sequence would follow in much the same order. The objective was to capture the twins alive...

But before that, I had to get into the place. My time would come... soon... Just after nightfall...

-o-

Boredom. Yes, that actually was a feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time. Nothing had happened since I moved from Station Square to the large secluded house just outside the Mystic Ruins. Slim pickins'. That's what it was for me lately.

Could you really call me a spy anymore? A treasure hunter? Bah, I hadn't done that in three years! I don't even think I could start up again if I wanted! But the spy part was actually waiting on a very important call from a very important person...

And if the fucker hadn't called in three fucking years, I doubted he'd call at all.

Not that I'm down on my luck. Hell no! You oughta see my place! Jessica Simpson didn't have it this good!

Like I was saying, I was bored to tears. I hadn't even gotten out of bed yet. Hell, I was still in my violet Chinese silk robe, flicking channels on my plasma screen. When I discovered it was almost noon, I thought maybe it was about time I got dressed. I got up and let the slick fabric drop as I made my way to my walk-in (hell, live-in) closet.

Hmmm... Versace, Dior or Gucci? Its funny to think even my casual clothes are designer-made. Comfortable, though. Dior it is! Just as I was reaching for the hanger, my sensitive ears picked up a shuffling noise...someone was in the next room...

He'd have to be pretty damn quiet to get that far into my house unnoticed. Lucky for me one of my gun drawers was in my closet. (the armory was downstairs). I keep 'em around the house just in case something like this was to happen. Unfortunately, I was clad only in a black lace bra and a thong. And it was a tad bit chilly, I might add.

I stepped cautiously to my bedroom door, listening carefully. When I heard his footsteps coming closer, I stepped into the doorway, arming my pistol and aiming it.

"Freeze!"

It was a weasel. He had a ski mask over his head and a pitiful excuse for a gun, now held in one of his raised hands. The guy looked about ready to piss himself.

"Who are you and what the FUCK are you doing in my house?"

"Ma'am, please... Don't shoot..."

"I don't have a good reason."

"Look, I'll leave... just... just don't shoot..."

My eyes narrowed. "Drop your gun and take off that mask."

He hesitated, obviously reluctant. He then obeyed, tossing his weapon aside and pulling off the mask.

"Well, Nack. Long time no see." I readied myself for the shot. "Any last words?"

"W-wait! No, please, hang on! I can explain!"

"I'll give you to the count of ten before I blow your fuckin' head off."

His eyes widened.

"One..."

It's amazing how fast weasels can run when they need to. Unfortunately I had been too pissed off to check him for valuables... mine in particular. I did a quick scan of the room, then ran downstairs. My master safe was still hidden, and all of my lesser safes behind pictures and bookcaseswere still locked. He hadn't stolen anything. Good thing I caught him soon enough. The only problems now were the fact he'd seen me in my skimpy lingerie and the fact that he knew where I lived. The next time I see that bastard, I swear to God...

Ok, cool it. He's gone. I locked all the doors, putting the safety back on my pistol and returning to the act of dressing myself. Well, at least SOMETHING out of the ordinary happened. Today was a good day, I thought. Just as I was slipping into a pair of stretch jeans, the phone rang. I tripped over my own pants trying to get to it, sweatdropping momentarily, then answering in a hurried voice.

"Yes, Mr. President?"

"Rouge! I have to warn you! There's word that a spy is in your area! Keep an eye out, will you?"

I sighed. "Will do." So Nack's a spy now, is he? What was he looking for here?

"Good. How've you been?"

"Same old same old. It's actually been pretty boring around here. I was kinda hoping you'd call."

"Don't worry, Rouge. You won't be out of work for long."

I wanted to jump for joy! Finaly! Work!

"Absolutely sir! I'm ready when you need me!"

"Great! I'll call you and fill you in when the time comes."

"Thank you, Mr. President!"

And I heard a dial tone. Well, that's how he was, never actually saying goodbye. Does it really matter? Anyway, I finished the act of dressing, pulling on a nice black satin shirt by Gucci. I know, mixing names. Sue me. Then I went back downstairs to fix myself some lunch.

;:; (Change of perspective)

As Rouge was digging through her large silver fridge, a slim blue form poked her head over a couch cautiously. She eyed the bat warily, ducking again and making her way stealthily across the room.

Once she was out of sight she sighed with relief, straightening a pigtail. She pulled a paper from the pocket of her star-imprinted flare jeans and unfolded it, looking it over for a minute. She then pocketed it, feeling the wall behind her until she found the hidden switch. She pressed it and the wall swung around, hiding her from view.

On the other side of the wall she found Rouge's hidden safe. She squeaked with glee, bouncing up and down a few times, then twirling.

The door was titanium steel, and the lock required a code to be punched in. In examining this, she found there to be both letters and numbers on the keypad.

She pulled a cell phone from her mini backpack and dialed on it.

"Uncle Nack, I'm in."

"Good, you're sure you weren't seen?"

"Yup. She's making lunch. What's the code?"

"Uhh..." He was silent for a long moment.

"Do you know?"

"Not exactly. You may have to cut some wires."

"No problem." She pried the keypad off with a small penknife. "Ok... It looks pretty new... I dunno... There seems to be some trip wires... Those'll set off an alarm and I can't tell the difference between 'em."

Nack sighed angrily. "You're the child genius. You figure it out. If you get caught, I'll leave you there and you'll have to fend for yourself."

With that, he hung up.

"Meanie mean mean old uncle Nack. I'll show him..." She pulled at her pigtails for a moment in thought, examining the wires closely. With a little squeal of delight, she found what she was looking for, and cut a green wire.

There was a loud clanking sound as the door unlocked itself.

"Ha ha! It opened! I did it aaalll byyyy myseeellllf!" she sing-songed, dancing here and there. Now laid the task of turning the large wheel. She gripped it and pulled downward with all her little ferret might, tail bristling from the strain. It didn't budge. She sat heavily, catching her breath. One more go. She stood, hopping onto the wheel and tried to use her weight to open it... but to no avail. Again she sat and panted. She dare not call her uncle back, but she couldn't get it open on her own. She put her little mind to work whilst staring at the door.

Just then, the wall behind her swiveled open, revealing a rather displeased Rouge.

"What are you doing in here?"

She looked up at the bat with large, watery yellow eyes.

"I...:sniff: I was out playing in the forest an' I got lost... an' I couldn't find mister Fuzzy, and then I saw a man with a silly mask on an' I followed him 'cause I thought he might know where mister Fuzzy was an' he went in here and locked me in an'...an'...an' I want my mommyyy!" she began to wail piteously.

"Oh... I'm... I'm sorry... here..." she picked the child up and rested her against her hip.

"Let's see if we can't get you home..."

":sniff: I'm hungry..."

"Uh... you like chicken curry?"

-o-

On a plane to Tuskanon...

It was Knuckles' first time in a plane...sure he'd been on the Egg Carrier before, and he lived on an island at about the same altitude at which most planes fly, but never had he been on an actual airline flight. Strangely enough, he was nervous.

Tails took the window seat before anyone could protest, and Knuckles claimed the isle seat whether Sonic liked it or not. So, he was stuck in the middle.

The flight was starting off rather boringly, Sonic thought. Even if they got to ride first class, he was uncomfortable. Cramped spaces always annoyed him. And to top that off, it was boring, as I'd mentioned. He'd read the "skymall" three times over in the first hour and now had nothing to do except flick peanuts at a sleeping Tails from time to time. He didn't even wake up. Not fun at all.

Knuckles was gripping the arm rests and staring straight ahead. The only thing running through his head over and over again were the images from 9-11.

He jumped as a bag puppet was thrust in his face.

"The plane's gonna crash! We're all gonna dieee! You may need me in a few minutes!" Sonic said in a squeaky voice, using a hand to make an air sickness bag talk.

"Damnit, Sonic, get that barf bag outa my face! What are you thinking?" Knuckles shoved it away angrily, sinking into his seat and glaring at nothing.

"Wow...touchy..." Sonic crumpled the bag and tossed it in Tails' direction...he remained asleep. (he's used to Sonic's torturing)

Another hour passed and our blue friend was still bored out of his mind. He had turned all three air vent thingeys on full blast and directed them all at Tails (Who only curled into a tighter ball and ignored it) and was beginning to run out of ideas. He turned to say something annoying at Knuckles... but found that he had dosed off. Perfect! He sneaked around the sleeping echidna, then tiptoed down the isle and snatched the little air bag and mouthpiece flight attendants use for demonstration.

"MMMFFF! MMM MMMMMFFF!" Knuckles heard as he was shaken awake. He turned angrily with all the intention of smacking Sonic for his annoyance, but when he saw the bright yellow plastic cup over his mouth and the wild look of terror in his eyes, Knuckles screamed in fright.

"I DON'T WANNA DIEEE!"

When he saw the worried looks of the other passengers, he realized the truth.

Sonic was giggling uncontrollably into the mouthpiece, trying to fend off the echidna's fists.

"When this plane lands, you will not be safe." he said with foreboding finality, slumping irritably into his seat.

-o-

"Karpa...what's this on my plate? And what do I eat it with?" I asked her in a whisper. There were at least seventeen different utensils, four little empty side dishes, three different glasses and the large plate in front of me with smaller plates on top. The topmost of these had five little dips in it and what looked like steamed clam insides in each. The smell of garlic was strong. I hate garlic.

"Escargot. Eat it. Don't complain." She hissed at me. I just shrugged, picked up supposedly the right fork, and popped one in my mouth. It was like chewing on month-old garlic-flavored used gum. I reeeally wanted to spit it out and excuse myself for the evening, but Karpa gave me this look...and it kinda freaked me out because that was MY look. I have to get used to the fact we're twins and we both look the same when we're angry. Anyway, I obeyed when she pinched my leg hard under the table. Mind my manners, mind my manners. I know. Next time she does that, I'll pinch back. I will.

I took a generous sip of champagne to wash the taste out. Negh! I bet she just made me eat something's brain! Rich people are so weird! You'd think with all that money they could afford something that tastes good.  
Then this plate covered with these little bead-like things was held out to me by the butler/servant/waiter... person.

"How do you take your caviar, miss?"

"Caviar? Isn't that fish eggs?"

I received another painful pinch in the leg and almost cried out. Bitch...

"Uh...how about on one of those little toast thingeys?"

The servant person nodded. "And which variety would you prefer?"

There was red, green, orange, black...wow, I didn't know there were so many kinds of edible fish eggs. Nasty. People actually EAT fish eggs. Ok, what the hell, we'll try the orange ones! I pointed at them and he put some on the toast and set it on one of my side plates.

Ok, I'm going to _pretend_ to eat it and toss it under the table... and hope no one notices... Just as I was going to take a drink of water, she up and pinched me again. This time I pinched back harder, giving her an expression of "What'd I do now?"

"That's your finger bowl, you git!"

"What the hell's a finger bowl?"

"You dip your fingers in it to clean them after eating finger foods." She whispered harshly with a hand to her forehead.

Just then, my dad... nice to have an actual dad... Stood, tapping his butterknife against his champagne glass.

"Here here, I'd like to make a toast..." He raised his glass. "to the newest member of our family. The lost daughter has come home to us!"

Everyone pompously stood and raised their glasses as well... everyone being supposed nobles and other members of my family I hadn't even spoken to yet...

"Here here!"

Well, that's an odd thing to say...

;o; (change of perspective and time)

Shadow was sitting alone on Karpa's private veranda, looking out at the moonlit sea from the suspended bench swing he reclined in. his mind was reeling with something akin to inspiration... the restlessness of the "undone" and endless possibilities. The only problem was, none of it made actual sense. As most right-brained thoughts go, all of the mental connections were subconscious and therefore often absurd and abstract. Pieces of fragmented memories and dreams swelled into one swirling mess inside his cerebrum in his current state of half-consciousness.

"Jai guru deva..."

It had slipped from his lips almost without his knowing. What did it mean? It meant something, he was sure of it...

"That's Indian, isn't it?"

He turned his head to the sound of the young voice, seeing nothing in the blackness.

"Who are you?"

"It's polite to introduce yourself first, you know." A little girl with the same accent as Karpa, he deduced. She stepped into the blue moonlight, wrapped in a fluffy blue blanket. She was an echidna of a yellow-peach hue with curly white locks dressed in a baby blue nightgown. She walked around the bench and hopped up next to him, sighing and pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

"It gets cold at night here, even in the summer... but the ocean's so pretty when the moon is full. Don't you agree?"

"Yeah... by the way, my name's Shadow."

"Patella Fairchild. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

They sat and marveled the view for a moment.

"How old are you, Patella?"

"Six next January."

He chuckled. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Nanny had too much wine and she'd gone to bed early. I was on my own. And I've lost my bear..."

He laughed a little. "You're smart for your age, right?"

"That's what they all seem to believe. It's interesting you said Jai guru deva without the Om at the end."

"Om? You know what it means?"

She sighed again, snuggling up against the dark hedgehog.

"Yes, but I'd rather not get into it. I'm rather tired, you see."

"Not me. I can't sleep." He shifted his position to make her comfortable. She yawned, draping a tiny arm across his midsection.

"I'm glad I met you, Shadow. I miss my bear..."

"I'm sure you'll find him tomorrow."

"mmh..."

After a long moment of silence, he looked down to find she'd drifted off to sleep. He wrapped an arm around her to keep her blanket from falling and gazed out across the tempestuous ocean for a while longer.

((I can't think of anything more I want to put in and it's long enough already. Plus I'm missing iron shef and if Sakai loses, I'll be miffed to no end.))

Sonic:-dressed up like the chairman and biting a pepper- wait... peh! I hate peppers...


	8. Cheers and Greetings

(((I'm on a roll, aint I? this makes four chapters since I got off probation! Then again, I've been writing this whole time, so this is only my first that I've STARTED since the end of my probation, neh. Well, kids, I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. I'm actually starting to laugh at my own jokes, so I think maybe its time I got out more. Yeah. Anyway, we've introduced a good portion of Tarsa's new family, and today I think I'd like to get into some detail on them. Patella's cute, isn't she? She's Karpa's little cousin. I'm thinking about adding at least three or four more family members besides the parents and uncle (Radien- he's cool.) but I'm beginning to think I have enough characters and storylines to worry about as it is. I'm going to leave it up to you. Now, if you've been paying attention, you'd realize I've created a pattern in the Fairchild names. I'm not going to explain it because it's painfully obvious. The whole thing with Rouge and the ferret girl, I have absolutely NO idea how that sneaked its way in there. Now I'm going to have to elaborate on that. Thanks a lump, Aeyvi. Whatever. Onto the fic, people.))

Shadow: we have officially graduated to the title of "people."

Sonic: why am I still dressed like chairman Kaga? He's yaoi...

Sh:-winks at Sonic- And you're not?

Sn:-sweatdrops- eh... stop looking at me like that... Aeyviiii... Shadow's staring at meeeeeee...

A: -smacks Sonic- it started with someone else's name. It's your problem.

Sn: Ow...you're a bad mommy...

A: HELLNO I aint your mommy.

Sn:-cries loudly and annoyingly-

A:-hires Knuckles to pound his ass and leaves, grumbling.-

Knuckles: and take that... and grapes...

: I own nothing save what I devise. And my left foot. :

_Chapter 8- Cheers and Greetings_

Another night at the pub, another round of whiskey! Ah, how did it end up like this? I guess I was just lonely that night... But if it's going to turn into a routine... I'm just going to have to go along with it! Cheers!

I couldn't stop laughing for some forgotten reason, and I had thrown my arm across his shoulder so as to have something to lean on. He may have been too intoxicated to mind, I know he doesn't think too highly of me. I guess one would if the other had tried to kill them. It didn't bother me, though. I wouldn't let a little thing like attempted homicide get in the way of friendship!

"Ay, I bet you can't beat this one!" I rolled up my sleeve to reveal the deep black burn mark I had received in an Aborigine ritual. (it was actually the "crossing into manhood" ceremony, strangely enough)

"Nah, man, check this out!" he had already removed his coat, but unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a long pink scar.

"That had to hurt. Who did it you?"

"'did it me?'" he laughed. "You people say the funniest things... Ah, it was this bastard with a sword... thought he was a samurai or something. Anyway, bet ya can't top that!"

I lifted my shirt to reveal my stomach, proudly sporting a long, curved black scar.

"Appendix?" he inquired.

"Ex-girlfriend."

"Oh. Ow."

We downed another shot together, sighing happily at the same time.

"It's a shame, isn't it?" I asked dreamily.

"What?"

"That we have to be enemies. We make much better friends."

"Oh, shut up. We dun hafta be enemies..."

"You're beginning to talk funny." I pinched his cheek roughly in jest.

"Cut it out, man." He shoved me but I unfortunately fell off the barstool.

"oops..." He began to giggle drunkenly. I stood, a little wobbly, shoving him back.

"Don't, we may start a brawl." He warned holding me back with a palm to my forehead.

"You betteh watch yourself... it's almost one..."

"And you're too drunk to do anything about it."

"So're you..."

He let his hand drop and I ended up falling into him, rather uncomfortably, with my face against his chest. I couldn't stop laughing.

"I think it's time we left. You've had enough..." he said, patting me hardily on the back.

"Mhh. I can't get up."

He sighed, pushing me away.

"If you want, I'll give you a ride." He suggested.

"Yeah right, so you'll know where I'm staying and kill me in my sleep."

"I'm not that kinda person."

Alright then, I thought. What harm could it do?

"Donald, put it on me tab. I'm takin' me leave." He stood and I slung an arm across his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around my waist. We stumbled that way out the door, laughing uncontrollably.

"You bumbling idiot, you can't walk!"

"You're the bumbling idiot, idiot..."

"I say, that was ratheh lame..."

I tripped and clutched at him so as not to fall, only to bring him down with me. He landed on me and we both were reduced to hysteric giggling.

"See what you've done? This was my favorite coat..." I pouted, looking up at him.

There was an awkward silence.

"Promise you won't smack me?" he asked.

"What? What for?"

And then the strangest thing happened.

He kissed me.

And I punched him. Square in the mouth.

He rolled off me, sitting up and holding a hand to the assaulted area.

"Alright, I deserved that."

"You bloody well did. Fairy."

"What'd you call me?"

I sat up, glaring at him. "You 'eard me."

He just sighed, feeling the inside of his mouth with a finger and removing a tooth that had broken loose.

"Damnit, you hit hard...and what makes me a fairy?"

If he couldn't figure that out, it was his own bleeding problem. I stood, tripping over my own feet to my beat-up old Volvo.

"You don't want that ride anymore, huh?"

"I can get me own self where I need to be."

"Whatever." He stood as well. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah, same."

"Be careful..."

"Don't worry your 'ead about it."

-o-

Knuckles raced down the little hallway that extended from the plane's main door. Pushing past people a little less than gently, he stopped midstride, staring through the milling crowd of the airport.

"...TARSA!"

And the poor girl was practically knocked over in the sudden tight hug.

"TARSATARSATARSATARSA! I MISSED YOUUU!"

Her breath was quite taken away when she found herself being spun around by the ecstatic echidna. When her feet touched the ground again, the airport was spinning.

She looked back to him with wide eyes as he gripped her shoulders tightly.

"...Hi?"

"Don't...ever...leave me again..."

"...okay...?"

She found herself in an even tighter embrace, her mouth taken by his in a longing kiss. She sighed, falling against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

The click of a camera was heard.

"I'm sorry, that was just so cute I had to..." Sonic brushed away a false tear.

The two failed to notice.

It was only when a possum in an expensive-looking suit cleared his throat that the two ended their tender moment. Tarsa blushed lightly.

"Uh, Harmond, this is Knuckles."

He just regarded them in a cold silence behind his dark shades.

Sonic stepped up, clapping a hand on both echidnas' backs. "So, who's the undertaker?"

Tarsa blushed more profusely. "That's Harmond. He's like a butler, chauffer and bodyguard in one." Then whispered to Knuckles, "They said I couldn't go without him."

He nodded, slipping an arm around her waist. "Shall we?"

"Sure!" she looked to Harmond. "Let's get going."

"Sonic, grab the bags, won't you?" Knuckles threw him a fanged grin.

The hedgehog grumbled, giving him a vengeful glare before picking up the trio's carry-ons. Tails giggled.

((( oh, stop whining! This chapter is ridiculously short because I have NO time left and also because this is as far as I'd thought the thing through...save one more encounter between Espio and Kai. (not THAT kind of encounter, he's not her type, baka.) anyway, for the first time in a great while, I'm distracted from inspiration... :sighs: work and play should never mix. Write that down. Anyway, when I find the time, I promise I'll continue. Review anyway. You've all been neglecting that the past week. To shame. All of you. Chao.)))


	9. Inconcievable

((yes, I know I've been belated in writing. Get off my case. It's been a very busy week and I've been pressed for all sorts of time. And I finally went and got mah hair did... ahem, had my hair done. That AND, I've been somewhat starved for inspiration. Though I have YET to hit a writer's block. :smiles proudly:

Sonic: except for your oldest fics on ffnet...

Knuckles: which she will NEVER finish...

A:-fwaps both their asses soundly- shaddap, you furry little ingrates.

Sn: ...ow..?

K: ...ooo... -wide grin- I ought to insult you more often... -rubs his ass thoughtfully-

A: ...eh...anyway! Right. I'm writing a fic! Yes. -clears throat-

: anyone who thinks I own Sonic should be sentenced to cheese. :

_Chapter 9- Inconcievable_

"So... where did you come from, anyway?" she asked the small child as she quickly shoveled away her second helping of curry and rice.

"Umm..." she swallowed hard, thinking for a moment. "over there." She pointed in a random direction, the region to which was hidden by wall.

"Oh... so, do you know your phone number? I'm sure your mom's worried sick."

The girl sat in a silent, wide-eyed stare for a moment.

"...what's wrong?"

"M...mommy's in heaven with daddy and Jesus."

Rouge just sat there for a moment, wishing she had chosen her words more wisely.

"So, you live with... relatives?"

She sobbed, rubbing a tiny gloved fist in her eye. "I dun have a place to live now... I wan away."

"Hun, I gotta get you back where you came from. You have to tell me where you're staying."

She shook her head violently, crossing her little arms, lowering her head and pouting.

Rouge stood, sighing with aggravation.

"You can't stay here..."

"Why not?"

"B...because..."

The little girl sniffled, tears welling in her innocent eyes.

"Oh, now...don't cry about it..."

"You're...:sup: m- :sup: mean..."

"Come on, there's no need to-"

And the child began to wail at the top of her little lungs.

"Holy mother of God! Anything but THAT!" Rouge covered her sensitive ears against the shrill audio assault. She stooped next to where the child sat, drawing her into a hug and smoothing a hand over her small back, shushing her in a soothing voice.

"Shhh...it's ok, I didn't mean it... calm down... Don't cry..."

The ferret sup-supped a few times, rubbing at her reddened eyes before quieting.

"You're a nice lady... What's your name?" the girl asked, still a little tearfully.

"I'm Rouge. What's yours?"

She grinned, instantly losing her distress. "I'm Li'l Nikki!"

-o-

"Hoity fuckin' doity! Would ya LOOK at this place?" Sonic said quite approvingly of the inside of the Fairchild mansion.

Knuckles gave him a warning slap upside the head.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"Watch your language. We're among those who have manners. Pretend to have some."

Sonic just flipped him the bird discreetly when his back was turned, picking up the bags and following suit.

He froze in his steps, dropping the bags from his now trembling hands and stared, wide eyes growing wider as his sight was directed through the "play room" doors.

"The Maserati MC12 in white and true blue... I've either died and gone to heaven... or I'm having a wet dream..."

Knuckles, noticing Sonic's absence, backtracked until he found him. Upon noticing the hedgehog's steady gaze, he looked in the direction of his undivided attention.

"Oh God... oh God..."

"I know..."

Now both stood and stared, eyes sliding over the smooth shiny forms basking in the fluorescent light.

"The Diablo's mine. Don't get any ideas." came a familiar voice from behind the two.

"Hi, Shadow." both said in monotones, gaze still locked on the sleek sexy forms of the expensive automobiles.

"Karpa, they're here." He yelled down the hall, shaking his head sadly at them and walking off.

The summoned golden echidna slid a hand up Knuckles' shoulder, leaning into his ear.

"We have a nice collection of motorcycles as well..."

Knuckles gasped with glee, spinning around with a pleading look in his wide violet hopeful eyes.

"Go on and play boys. I'll get someone to take these to your rooms for you."

Without further ado, the two were off to play.

"DON'T SCRATCH ANYTHING!"

"WE WON'T!"

She chuckled, resting a hand on a hip. "Boys will be boys as they say..."

She jumped a bit in surprise as a pair of nimble hands slid suddenly around her waist.

"I could prove that theory further if you'd like..." Shadow whispered gruffly into her neck before biting it suggestively.

"Shadow... shame on you...in front of guests..." She giggled breathlessly, meeting his mouth in a kiss from behind.

"They're not paying attention..." he coaxed as he pulled her towards a nearby closet.

"Damn you and your tempting ways..." she giggled again as he closed the door after them.

-

"I won't hear another word of it! Our security is the best in the industry!" Cerebus bellowed from behind his ornate desk. He was wearing an expensive black suit with gold cufflinks and slight aristocratic frills around the neck. His fur was a bright golden-yellow, brighter than Karpa's hue. His thinning silver locks tossed as he swiveled angrily in his large leather chair, folding his hands and pursing his lips indignantly.

"Yes, but it's lacking one thing!" a light brown echidna in a blue silk shirt and designer jeans retorted. He reached over the desk; grasping the chair and swiveling it back around so he could face him.

"What if the assailant doesn't care about getting caught? That is our only weakness."

The two brothers glared each other down for a moment in rising anger before the elder huffed, reaching in a drawer for his pipe.

"What do you know about assassins, Radien? You haven't been in a war! The closest thing you know to defending your own life is fencing!"

"And the Jujitsu was for fun, was it?" Radien growled, voice rising. "And the hours I spend at the shooting range? I think you know a little less than me. Especially at your age when you begin to forget things...getting harder to move, is it? A little creaky at the hinges?" he leaned in, taunting.

"Oh, shut up. You've been touchy since you hit thirty. It's understandable." he responded calmly, puffing at his pipe as he lit it.

"Bugger off, you old bag!" Radien fairly shrieked, storming out of the office and slamming the large door behind him. The old echidna only chuckled softly, waving the match in his hand to put it out.

-

Brown eyes watched calmly as the enraged marsupial muttered to himself whilst striding angrily down the corridor. She'd heard the whole discord with little difficulty from her hiding spot, somewhat conspicuous in a corner on the ceiling. Radien was right. No manner of high-tech surveillance equipment would hamper her. As long as they all died, nothing else would matter. Not that she'd let herself be seen...

She dropped from the ceiling, stuffing the suction cups in her lightweight pack before adjusting the sheath on her back.

Jujitsu, eh?

Can't save you now...

"Daddy?" a small voice called.

"Yes, Pattie, dear?" Radien called back sweetly, his mood suddenly shifting at the sound of his daughter.

The child came pattering up to him from her nursery door, stuffed bear clenched in her tiny fist.

"I found my bear. He was hiding behind the bookshelf."

The father chuckled as he picked her up, resting her on his stomach.

"And how did he get himself there?"

"He was scared." She said matter-of-factly.

"Of what, pray tell?" Radien batted at her little nose playfully.

"The red death."

Aka's eyes widened at the sound of this and she flattened herself against the wall. She hadn't been seen and even if she had...how would the child know?

Radien just chuckled, touching noses with the toddler. "Have you been into Daddy's books again?"

"...yes. But I enjoy them. They're better than nanny's silly bedtime stories."

He just laughed as he set her on his hip, carrying her down the hall. "You're a strange little one, you know?"

"Yes, Daddy. I know."

-o-

"Well." She said, drawing a hand across her face. This was the last thing she wanted to do that night.

"Hey, if you don't wanna do it, I could help..." Poe offered.

"Nah, it's my job. I gotta finish it. Damn, And it happened to ol' Bill too. I'll miss him, I will." She sighed heavily before slinging her rifle over one shoulder, her cat-o-nine tails over the other. On the clock again.

She trudged down the stairs, dreading her own duty. Money wasn't really the reason she did what she did. It was all she knew how to do. That, and her life depended on it.

She jolted in surprise to see her own victim waiting for her in the parking lot, leaning against his black Chevy.

"By the look on your face, I doubt you wanted to see me."

She sighed. "On the contrary. You're just the person I was looking for." She stepped forward, clapping a friendly hand on his shoulder. He sighed.

"It's been fun. You've been a real chum, you 'ave. And I'll miss you."

"Oh, don't talk like that. I'm not going anywhere." He smiled cockily.

"Now, don't make things difficult for me... You 'an I both know one of us has to go, an' I'm never the one."

"Well, neither am I, sweetheart." He gave her a peck on the cheek before jingling his car keys and opening the shotgun door for her.

"Let's take this somewhere quiet..."

"Right. Don't do that again." She glared at him as she got in.

"After tonight, you won't have to worry about that."

((And another short and pointless chapter ends. You're right, whoever you where that said I have very little plot. I'm making it up as I go along from here. Yawn, and it's late. And I'm senseless. I promises to have some detailed lemoniness in ch 10. Stay tuned, I'll probably update shortly. Nighty.))

Knux: LEMONY FRESHNESS AT LAAAST!

Sonic: Boo-yah -does a little dance-


	10. So Long, Chum

(((shut up. All of you. I've been busy. Damn this busy busy business. Damn it all to goats. Anyway, as I had promised, there shall be some lemony sexiness in this chappy. Detailed, I might add. Even though my reviewers don't deserve it, maybe this will up my popularity. And I also must announce- please stop giving me private messages in my reviews. If you wish to speak to me, please ask kindly for my email and I shall send it you. It's a wee bit embarrassing... (ahem) youknowwhoyouare. :looks side to side uneasily: _(this was before FFNET messaging, disregard)_anywhelps, I have that song "Across the Universe" by John Lennon stuck somewhere in the recesses of the wrinkles of my brain right around where creative thought emulates, so you'll probably be hearing some of it in the fic. Don't ask me where or how, but I did foreshadow it. Damn me and my damned foreshadowing...)))

Shadow: damnit, I KNOW someone said my name... I just KNOW it...

Knuckles:-sighs- grapes.

Tarsa: yes, grapes.

K: oh, and YOU -clings to Tarsa who coughs for air-

Sonic: waitaminute... doesn't he only randomly say things he likes to... eat?

T: hmmm... -suggestive glance to Knux-

K: what? Ohhh -wide grin-

Tails: something about an airport bathroom...

A: ahemness. Like I was saying, much perversion follows. Stop scrolling to the good parts, you idiot.

: what? Yes! Sonic, do I own you?

Sn:-chained to a wall- of course, mistress!

A: ah... heh heh... He means no. -whispered harshly- what do you think you're doing? I could get sued:

Sn: ha, I knew she wanted me...

_Chapter 10- So Long, Chum._

Rouge waited anxiously on her phone, listening to the ringing tone.

"Missing person's department, how may I direct your call?"

"Yes, hi... this is Rouge the Bat. I was wondering if anyone reported a missing child around the Mystic Ruins area."

"Yes, miss. Please describe the child."

"She's a light blue ferret about three feet...eh, maybe one inch tall, turquoise hair in pigtails, little star-covered bellbottoms, and a pink shirt with a yellow vest... her name's Nicole."

"Nikki! Li'l Nikki!" the girl persisted, tugging at Rouge's shirt.

"Shh, I'm on the phone! Sorry. Anyway, anything come up?"

The woman on the other end was silent for a moment. The rapid click of a keyboard could be heard.

"I'm sorry, there haven't been any reports for a ferret... How long would you say she's been missing?"

"I... don't really know... she's been with me for at least five hours... what do I do?"

"Well, Ma'am, do you have somewhere she can sleep?"

"Y-...yes..."

"Are you able to feed her?"

"Of course..."

"Maybe you should wait it out for a day or two. It takes at least forty-eight hours for a missing person report to be valid."

Rouge sighed heavily. "Thank you."

"No problem ma'am. Have a nice day."

She clicked the phone off, looking to the child who had made herself comfortable on the sofa.

"Well, looks like you can stay for a while. Just until your... uh... guardians file a report."

Nikki squealed with glee, bounding over and hugging the bat's legs.

"Just one thing... you know how to use the bathroom, right?"

"Of course, silly!"

Rouge sighed with relief. "Good, 'cause I am NOT changing diapers."

-o-

A few days later in Tuskanon...

Karpa removed her shirt casually as Shadow dug around in his suitcase irritably.

"Damnit, if we're out I'm gonna be pissed..."

"We have been using them quite frequently, dear..." Karpa said calmly, sliding out of her short skirt.

He turned his head to look at her, drawing a slow breath through his teeth, a mischievous smirk taking over his face.

"God... damnit, you look good..."

She chuckled, unhooking her bra. "Not for lack of trying."

When the aforementioned undergarment hit the floor, that was about all he could take. He tackled her in a homing attack, causing both to hit the ample bed with force. Unfortunately, the bed was an antique, and this sudden assault was more than two of the legs could take.

The sickening creak and splintering of wood was heard, and the whole front half of the bed fell to the ground with a dull thud. Both were silent, staring widely into each other's eyes, then were both reduced to guilty snickering.

"Shadow, you broke my two-hundred year-old bed! You tubby little klutz!"

"Little? Just who are you calling little? And tubby?" he bit her nose to let her know she was being uncouth. She bit back at his lip.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked, somewhat anxiously.

He held up the small package between ungloved fingers.

"Last one, lucky us."

"Yes, lucky indeed..." She squirmed beneath his weight, sliding off her slight panties.

(AN- for some reason the word "panties" just never sounds right... not coming from my mouth anyway... I would have said thong, but I've used that already. Anywelp, onward...)

He took the liberty of tearing open the package and removing its contents (which happened to be made of latex, if that wasn't obvious enough.) and proceeded to don it slowly, teasingly...

She growled, nibbling at his neck, breath quickening with anticipation.

(AN- just to let you know, I've had about two beers... this might get raunchy...)

He panted a little himself, dragging his tongue along the sensitive skin that was her areola, massaging the other with forefinger and thumb. She moaned lightly, back arching.

"You want me?" he asked breathlessly in her ear.

"Yeah..."

"How bad do you want me?" he pinched her nipple harder, sinking his teeth into her chest.

"Oh, God... I want you..."

"You want me..." he lightly smoothed the tip of his rigidity at her slick entrance, teasing a little more. "...inside you..?"

"Yes..."

She gasped as she felt the soft head enter, tightened anxiously...

"I can't hear you..."

"Yes! Oh... fuck... Don't taunt me so..."

He grinned demoniacally, thrusting suddenly, filling her to the hilt. She cried out in delicious pleasure mingled with a hint of pain, digging her nails into the black sheets...

(AN- wait... yes, I do believe I'm blushing. I wonder why? It's the mental image. Yes, sorry, I'm interrupting. Carry on. -holds beer bottle to red face- )

He began, no doubt, with the end in mind. It took him awhile to reach climax anyway, and he didn't care if he was rushing it tonight. So, he continued said task with his favorite skill: speed.

She smothered herself with a down pillow, muffling her loud cries of extreme ecstasy so as not to alarm any random servants passing by in the halls. But gawdamn... he was doing exceptionally well tonight...

Her soft insides hugged his hard form tightly; he gasped a little as he felt her juices gush slightly from the rapid assault. He continued with more force than necessary, relishing her screams as he hit her in all the right places...

"OH SWEET GOD!" she shrieked, wrapping her legs around his waist. He moved his grasp from the sides of the bed to her hips and positioned her just right, digging in completely with each heavy thrust. She whimpered into the pillow, loud cries now beyond her.

Shadow groaned, burying his face in her neck, feeling that overwhelming tingling sensation wash over him...

"Gawdamnit, I'm gonna cum..."

She groaned helplessly in reply, now lost in orgasm. The bodies moved together, the pace slowing as he gradually began to lose it...

He grunted, quivering slightly under the intensity of the orgasm, eyes clenched, sweat causing his fur to cling to his sinuous form, then sighed and slumped in exhaustion.

"That... had to be our best session yet..." Karpa gasped, removing the pillow.

"Oh yeah... remind me to pick up more tomorrow..."

"Will do."

They lay there like that for a moment, panting in each other's arms, enjoying the heat and the feel of the other's body. He finally pulled out after a long pause, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling sightlessly.

He sat up to remove his only garment (ahem) and froze, eyes widening.

"Sh...Shadow? What's wrong?"

"It... it..." he looked to her fearfully. "It broke."

-o-

It's easier for me to kill a nameless random stranger than it probably should be. As long as I don't know their name, think about the fact they might have a family waiting at home for them, a job, a life... then it's easy.

I knew his name all to well... had even dreamt about it a few times in the past weeks. A name... a face... A body... I've never had such dreams as that. Not in my life. The subconscious can be a very backward thing, mind you. That kiss... that kiss, though, had haunted my lips for days.

I looked to him as he drove us in complete icy silence, then to my effects in the back seat. Then back to him.

"Just so you know... I wish we didn't have to do this."

"We don't." he said abruptly.

"You mean YOU don't. My life depends on your death. For your information..."

He either ignored that statement or refused to respond to it. Either way, he continued quietly, switching gears from time to time.

"Where are we going anyway?" I had noticed we were now speeding down a country road, through a lush green forest of aspens and oaks.

Espio remained silent. Gah, fine, be that way. I can be quiet too... So I was.

About half an hour had passed, and I thought it more than enough distance to be out of the way...

He turned onto a dirt road, jostling us around quite a bit as he continued down it. I see... A place to bury the body. Secluded, secretive and far from prying eyes.

He stopped, clanking the car into park and sat for a moment, sighing.

"I have a proposition for you, Kai." He looked at me seriously.

"Ok."

"You have to be open-minded for me." he added.

I shrugged in reply.

"I can get you into the witness protection program. He'll never be able to find you... you won't have to do this..." He then crooked a finger under my chin and looked me square in the eyes. He had yellow-golden eyes...interesting. I rarely ever look into my victim's eyes... It saves me from guilt most of the time... this is why I knew then that I couldn't kill him...

Anyway, there I was, locked in this... strange... eye contact... waiting for him to say something. And yet, he didn't. It was awkward after awhile. I thought it best to pull away... but for some odd reason beyond me, I stayed put. It's like he was speaking to me through those deep golden irises... whispering from the dark recesses of his pupils... my God, what's happening?

My gaze shifted from those eyes to his lips... and back again... then back to his mouth, now opened partially. My own dry lips parted slightly, and with the close proximity... I could taste his breath... what... what am I doing?

It was as if in a dream when everything goes in slow motion... where the inevitable occurs so painfully unhurried... all you can do is savor it.

His hand slipped from my chin to my cheek as our faces met, foreheads touching. And then...

I received my first real kiss.

Taste flooded my senses, and it was as if I were being invaded... gladly though... I welcomed it. I rather enjoyed it, actually. The warm, melting sensation, the tingling creeping up my spine... the heat at my cheeks which may have been a blush. I didn't care. I leaned in, deepening the kiss, in turn raising a hand to his cheek as well. I was lost to all else but the sensation for that moment, could have cared less what happened afterwards. The boss can go to bleedin' 'ell for all I care. I don't want to leave...

Oh, shit. The boss.

I broke away, now feeling the blush spread to my neck.

"I... I can't. He'll find me. He's everywhere..."

Espio hushed me as one would a child, drawing me into a hug... which was difficult because of the damned stick shift, so I evaded the problem and just crawled onto his lap.  
We sat like that for a moment as newfound... Whatever you'd want to call us. I 'aint about to say "lovers" because that's a long stride for me... sleeping with a man... But he sure as 'ell wasn't my gentleman friend. Fuck that. He was just... there. And I was on his lap. So much for the "stick" shift issue... But still, I felt safe with my cheek against his chest, his strong arms wrapped around me. I didn't want to leave. I knew there had to be alternatives. He tightened the embrace, kissing my head lightly. I don't know why, but that put me instantly at ease... as a child needs a kiss to go to sleep.

"Thank you." my words were a little muffled by his shirt, but he heard me. And so, there we sat as the sun set behind the trees...

-o-

Knuckles sat alone on the balcony outside the room he and Tarsa shared. It was midday, and the sun beat down in unforgiving rays. He loved sunbathing, though, one of his leisurely pastimes on his island when he wasn't training. He thought absently about the emerald as he lay back in the reclining wicker chair, adjusting his dark violet shades.

"Hun? You out here?" Tarsa called, opening the large glass doors and stepping out in her small white bikini. Knuckles perked up to the sound of her voice, then glanced at her over his sunglasses. A smirk crept at the sides of his mouth.

"Not bad... not bad at all..." He stood, walking to her on bare feet.

"You wouldn't happen to be up to a quick one, would you...?" he asked into her ear as he slipped his hands around her waist.

"Are you crazy? What if one of the servant/butler/people come in and-"

She was cut off by a sudden rough kiss, and instantly agreed. She let herself be backed slowly into the bed, pushed against one of the four wide poles with force. He pulled away for a moment to admire her slender form, reaching around to pull the string of her bikini top.

She gasped, followed by a stifled moan when he took the liberty of teasing the skin of her neck with his teeth and tongue.

Both jerked as culprits caught in the act when a heavy knocking resounded from the door.

"Fuck...not fair..." he kissed her once more before waving her off to answer it, retreating to the bathroom. She sighed angrily, tying her modesty back into place and storming to the door.

"What?" she yelled into her sister's face.

"We need to talk." She stuck her head in and glanced around. "Where's Knuckles?"

"In the bathroom. Why?"

"Get him out."

"wa... bu... what's wrong?"

"KNUCKES!" she shouted.

"WHAT?"

"OUT!"

He poked his head through the bathroom door angrily.

"WHY?"

"Girl talk. Beat it."

"Fuck you." he slammed the door again. "Tarsa, tell her to come back later."

Karpa shoved past Tarsa angrily, yanking open the door and grasping the red echidna by a couple tendrils. She then proceeded to pull him, sputtering curses and flailing, out the bedroom door and slamming it behind him.

"Fine, fine. I'm gone. Bitch." The pat of his feet could be heard walking away.

Karpa seized her sister by the shoulders, looking urgently into her green eyes.

"What I'm about to tell you must remain completely confidential. You cannot tell anyone, especially mum and daddy."

The blue one blinked and nodded in reply.

"Tarsa... I... I might be pregnant. Now, it's not official, but... I was ovulating this week... there's an overwhelmingly great possibility..." She released her hold on her shoulders, stepping back and holding a hand to her forehead.

"What am I going to do?"

"Hey, it's not like you're a teenager, right? I mean, you're more than financially stable, you and the baby should be fine..." Tarsa gave her sister a warm hug. "I'm so happy for you, Karpie!"

"Hold up! I don't want a baby! Not without a father, I don't!" she pushed her away, turning her back to her.

"W... what about Shadow? I thought you guys were-"

"Yeah, well, we're not. Alright? He already said he doesn't want to get married. And I can tell, he's already planning to leave me. He wants this thing about as much as I do!"

Tarsa watched sadly as Karpa's shoulders shivered, heard a soft sob escape her throat.

"I'll talk to him if you'd like... I could try to reason with him..."

"Do what you will, he won't change his mind. He doesn't know how to be a father. He never had one. That's what scares him the most... having to... love..."

"He loves you, doesn't he?"

"That's different." She shook her head, tendrils flying. "No, I have to get an abortion."

Tarsa took her into a tight embrace from behind, kissing her back lovingly. "Don't say that. Never. Abortion is murder. You wouldn't kill an innocent little baby, would you?"

"I will if I have to."

"No... please..."

"I love him too much to lose him over this. I'll do what I have to." with that, she broke away from her, wiping angrily at her dampened face.

"It'll take at least two weeks before I can get tested. Pray for me that I'm not..."

"I will." She gave her sister a final kiss on the forehead, opening the door for her.

-o-

Tonight's the night. My plan was laid out before me, and soon could be set into motion. Kuro Batosai, my kitana, thirsted for blood. Soon, my love... very soon...

I watched the sun sink below the dark tempestuous sea, the sky on fire with an array of oranges, yellows and deep reds. Slowly, I dragged the rough stone along the smooth length of my blade. One of my favorite pastimes was sharpening my knives and sword, and remains a sacred ritual that I perform in complete solitude. I was perched on the terra cotta rooftop, waiting for the pall of night to drape the sun-heated earth in much-awaited cool...

The elder didn't deserve my sword. He'd taste my knife. A quick slice across the throat and that would be that. The wife... a few stabs in the back would be sufficient. Still not worthy of Batosai. After her, the child. I'll just break her neck- no need for bloodshed on her account. Then... ahh, someone worthy of a fight... I hoped. If not, he would receive two nice long slashes across the belly, allowing him to see his own entrails before he died. Needless to say, I didn't care for him. Don't ask me why. But hewould deserve jumongi giri for his weakness should he prove a non-threat...

And the twins, as I'd heard, would be less of a task being that all I had to do was render them unconscious. A little chloroform on a rag would do the trick. He did say "unharmed."

The sun had just disappeared, and my time was near. I pulled out one of my tantos, sharpening it with practiced care. Soon... Soon...

(((and I think this is about enough. More about the "Across the Universe" reference in the next one maybe. Who knows? Ah, well, do download it if'n you get the chance. It's a nice song. Do it for John! Ok, have a nice day and WE LOVE YOU!)))

Sonic: we do?

Knuckles: YES WE DO -instigates a group hug-

Espio: wow... okaaay... Anyway, Aeyvi, I'm gonna get laid in the next chappy, right?

A: one can only dream, my dear scaly firend.

E: oh, damn you. damn you very un-nicely!


	11. A Family Affair

((since I had taken such a long leave and also since I left you all in such suspense, I decided to continue shortly Because I'm nice like that (this is shortly, BTW).. Even though no one reviewed, that's not going to stop me from giving my all... yeah, actually it is. You all sadden me. And youknowhoyouare, if you could please just tell me what you think of the story as I'd asked... neh... I'll love thee forever and ever! Ok, so my love's unconditional, but I still just wanted some feedback. And some things don't need to be said, right koi? -tries to make a little happy- face, but ffnet disregards- argh. Anywhey, the fic! Yes! What happens next? You guys tell me.))

Sonic, Espio, and Knux: I GET LAID!

Shadow: Karpa goes on the pill... -little angry-face thing. Sigh-

Kai: I grow wings and fly far, far away.

Poe: or she just uses her unusually large ears. -gets pummeled-

Kai: they're not unusual! They're pretty! Wait... I just said pretty... I meant handsome!

E: awwh! Kai-kai's trying to be masculine -grabs her and cuddles-

Kai: oomf?

Aka: ...kill...KILL...kill... -crazed look in eyes-

Radien: ehh... -backs away-

A: okaaay... I've actually been neglecting the princess, so let's bring her back in. yes, bad author, bad... very bad...

Sn: very... _very_...baaaad... -licks lips-

A: ok, back the hell off, pincushion -hides behind Knux-

K: grapes... and Tarsa... -stares blankly while smiling-

_Chapter 11- A Family Affair_

I woke to the chirping of birds, rubbing at an eye groggily. I fell asleep? How...and then I remembered, feeling her move in her sleep as she still straddled my lap. We had slept through the night in each other's arms. I actually felt somewhat embarrassed at that fact... and then the feelings of the evening before rekindled. I drew her close again, smelling her hair absently. She had a floral, yet leathery scent to her... I loved it. She just seemed so wild and untamed... I couldn't believe she was there in my arms, allowing me to hold her.

Then again, she was still asleep.

Just as I had thought it, she stretched a little, opening her eyes and looking up at me. Upon recognition of her surroundings (and me, for that matter) she jolted upright, ears flaring.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. We fell asleep. That's all." I smoothed her hair gently from her face, leaving my hand to her cheek for a moment. I could feel her skin warm as a light blush crossed it. I... just couldn't get over how...adorable she could be.

"We... should be getting back... Or something..." she raked a hand at her hair, remembering it was in a braid and leaving it. She then looked around anxiously.

"Shh... calm down. No one's looking for you. I'm here..." I drew her back against my chest, venturing another kiss from her...

She submitted; body relaxing slightly as our mouths met again. I never actually thought about it, being that I'd never actually kissed anyone before Kai... but the taste... the taste of another's mouth... hers in particular... It seemed so much more sensual than I'd expected.

I readjusted her position on my lap as certain... things... began to feel discomfort. I hoped it didn't offend her or... disgust her, being her sexual preference... How the hell did this happen anyway?

She must not have minded or noticed, because she deepened the kiss, nipping at my tongue lightly. God, that drove me wild... and then something unexpected happened...

She scooted closer... onto... eh...anyway, it wasn't uncomfortable anymore. What surprised me more was the light grinding...

She pulled away from the kiss, looking deeply into my eyes.

"I'm up for it if you are..."

"Up for... wh... but I have no..."

She silenced me with a finger, raising her shirt slightly to reveal her scar.

"No worries. She took care of my child-bearing ability long ago."

I didn't know what to say. I just looked up at her, a mixture of sympathy and confusion swelling. I didn't know if I could go through with it. Before I could protest, she had pulled the latch on the side of the seat, causing it to recline suddenly. Shirts were unbuttoned... I can't believe I'm doing this. How in God's name did this happen? I gasped as she whipped off my belt, proceeding to the act of unzipping and removing my pants. It was easier when I didn't wear them...

What followed was both the most pleasurable and most strangely disturbing experience of my life theretofore. First came the pleasure... in generous helpings I might add. Never in my life had I been subjected to such wild animal passion. It was incredible! She was this ravenous beast that feasted on my mouth, my neck, my chest, all while riding me unmercifully. Sweet mother of God! I dragged my naked fingers along her supple, thin back as she arched it, hearing her cry out each time our pelvises met...

And afterward... it was just awkward. She curled up in the passenger's seat, her leather coat draped over her upper half in an attempt at modesty. Strange, I thought, because I'd already had full view of her sumptuous naked body... why would it matter now?

I reached over, stroking her tail in an attempt to draw her form her reclusion. She ignored me completely, staring out the window. It was strange, disturbing actually. I feared that I'd hurt her, even though she showed no sign of pain earlier. What... what had I done wrong?

"I want to go now." She said quietly, gathering her clothes. "Take me back to the hotel. I left my things..."

I pulled my pants back up with difficulty in the cramped space. "About my proposition... you still have a chance..."

"Right, right. I can't." she concentrated on buttoning her dark violet shirt. "Just take me back."

"Kaimera... come on... You don't have to face him. I'll be there for you and..."

"You're going to die whether by my hand or someone else's. Either way, he wants you dead. Soon."

"That's where you're wrong." I cupped her round face in my hands, brushing away the trace of a tear with a thumb. "We'll escape together. No worries, right?"

She smiled lightly, sniffling. "No worries..." she pulled from my grasp, shaking her head. "Except Poe. She's after the princess."

"I'm sure Sonic's keeping an eye on her."

She looked at me quizzically. "Whoever this 'Sonic' character is, I hope he's capable..."

"He loves her. He'd never let anything happen to her." and with that, I pulled her back onto my lap in a tight hug.

"Alright, then. I need my things and then we can go." She said, giving in.

-o-

A few days later in Tuskanon...

The dark sea tossed as heavy rain pelted the Tuskonian soil. The dark foreboding clouds lit up frequently with bright lightening followed closely by violent crashing booms of thunder that made all the windowpanes clatter noisily.

Patella played absently with her bear and a toy plane, "Edgar Allen Poe's Greatest Literary Achievements" opened in front of her. She'd glance at a page now and then, returning to the act of bombing the evil bear menace with her fighter jet.

"Much of madness and much of sin... and horror the soul of the plot..."

Lightening lit up her nursery window, causing the lights to flicker. She paused in her play to count...

"One-hippopotamus, two-hippopotamus, thr-"

And she jumped a bit in shock as a rather loud lash of thunder made her little ears ring. After it had passed, she cautiously drew her hands from her ears and continued.

She turned a few pages until she found what she was looking for.

"For her, the fair and debonair, that now so lowly lies,  
The life upon her yellow hair but not within her eyes-  
The life still there, upon her hair- the death upon her eyes. –  
Avaunt! avaunt! from fiends below, the indignant ghost is riven-  
From Hell unto a high estate far up within the Heaven-  
From grief and groan, to a golden throne, beside the King of Heaven!  
Let no bell toll, then,- lest her soul, amid its hallowed mirth,  
Should catch the note as it doth float up from the damned Earth!  
And I!- tonight my heart is light!- no dirge will I upraise,  
But waft the angel on her flight with a Paean of old days!"

She twirled a curly white lock around a chubby finger thoughtfully, looking at the clear strands for a moment.

"Well, my hair's not yellow... and my name isn't Lenore. I have nothing to worry about!" she then slumped in deeper thought.

"Gram has yellow hair though... I hope she doesn't become Lenore..."

She stood, the stuffed bear's paw clenched tightly in her tiny hand.

"Who's there?" she asked the dark doorway that lead into the hall. She didn't much care for the dark, even though she knew better than to be frightened by it. But someone was there... She heard it... or thought she had.

"It's past your bedtime. Go to sleep." A soft voice said from the dark.

"Who are you?" the child inquired.

"Go to sleep."

Patella gasped. "You're the Red Death, aren't you?"

The being in the dark did not reply. The sound of rain battering the rooftop was the only sound to be heard. Lightening lit the darkness, revealing the doorway to be empty. The child pouted, stepping to the doorway, sticking her head into the hallway.

"Where did you go?"

There was only silence... and an empty passage. Nothing more. Not even footsteps. Then suddenly an even louder boom of thunder raked the halls, causing the very walls to creak.

"I want my daddy..." the girl simpered, shrinking from the darkness.

-

Radien was in his private study, typing studiously at his computer when the door opened slowly. He looked up to the sound, startled somewhat that anyone would be up this late save himself. He relaxed when he saw it was his wife, Cecilia.

"Working late again, I see." She said disapprovingly, drawing her flower- print robe tighter around her slight frame. Her hair was white as her daughter's and tied back in a slightly disheveled bun. Her fur was a pale yellow, much lighter than the members of the Fairchild line. Her eyes were light orange in hue, and her brows were furrowed over them, darkened in the half-light.

"Cecilia, I'll be there in a moment. I have these proposals to look through... tomorrow's the deadline..." he yawned, fanning himself absent- mindedly with a paper as he sorted through a stack of said proposals.

She sighed, walking back in the direction of their shared bedroom, closing the study door behind her. Unfortunately, the mechanism in the handle caught and didn't shut completely, causing it to open to a crack by itself.

Aka saw the thin shaft of light as it stretched across the cold marble. She waited, an ear turned in the direction of the wife's footsteps as she went back to bed.

The elder could wait. She was anxious to see what skill this younger brother possessed.

Radien adjusted his glasses, eyes beginning to mist with weariness. He yawned, stretching back in his leather chair momentarily, loosening his tie a little more. He returned to typing, checking his papers from time to time.

Suddenly there was a loud zapping noise and bright blue light filled the room, causing the poor aristocrat to jump in his seat, spectacles falling from his nose. He gave a small squeak as the lights went out, and a fierce crash of thunder caused a pen to clatter from his desk.

"Well, that was nice..."

He swore, now realizing that he hadn't saved a good portion of his work. He pounded his desk in rage, sitting back in his chair heavily.

"Thanks. I mean it."

He was so consumed in his frustration that he didn't hear the slight creak the door made as it was pushed open.

Aka smirked in the dark. If she were planning on not being seen, it would have been the perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, she wanted an honest fight.

As another flash of lightening lit the room, Radien saw the intruder, this causing him to jolt to his feet in surprise.

They were once again shrouded in darkness.

"Who's there?" He asked as calmly as possible. Aka smiled.

"The Red Death."

There was a thick silence for a moment. She could hear his breath quiver as he exhaled. Maybe he was a coward after all...?

The lightening lit the room again, revealing a very wide-eyed echidna. Aka took that moment to toss something to him as he could still see. The object clattered to the ground with a clang as it rested at his feet.

"W...what is it?" he asked fearfully.

"A sword. You're going to pick it up and fight me."

"I... am?"

She sighed angrily. _'Do I have to do everything around here?'  
_"Defend yourself, you coward!" she screamed, leaping to the desk top. Frantically, Radien felt the ground for the sword, yelping as he heard the metallic swipe of another over his head. He found the weapon, unsheathed it, and held it shakily in front of him.

"Why?" he shouted, searching the dark office blindly for his assailant.

"Because I want to know if at least one of you Fairchild's can give me a challenge."

He cried out as she launched herself at him, parrying an attack with a lucky swipe. She leapt back and attacked again, slicing in for his side. He blocked her, breath shallow with fear. The lightening flashed once more, illuminating her face. He looked into her determined eyes with his own, wide with terror. His gaze shifted as movement was seen behind her. Her ear twitched backward to a sound.

It was dark again. There was a loud cracking sound and a body hit the ground with a thud.

A flashlight was shined in his face and he blinked against it.

"I heard a noise and thought a prowler was about..." Cecilia said innocently, flashlight in one hand, cricket bat in another.

"Good show, love!" he dropped the sword, stepped over the now-unconscious assassin, and hugged his wife happily.

-o-

"This time, you won't escape me so easily..." Poe murmured to herself, gun cocked and aimed.

The crosshairs settled on a patch of fur, the only part of the princess visible through her large bathroom window. She was alone.

The raven cursed from her perch on the hot roof tile. How long does it really take to blow-dry one's hair? Granted it was rather long... but she was becoming impatient, overheated and hungry. She couldn't wait to finish the job so she could break for lunch.

She checked her watch angrily. No word from either Aka or Kai. Well, Aka was less expected to call, but Kai had been gone all night. She hadn't been... no, not Kai. Kai always wins.

She was becoming increasingly bored and had an inescapable urge to preen her tail feathers which had been wrinkled from her position she had kept for the past hour. She had removed her blue jacket some time ago, and now wore only a white undershirt and a pair of torn jeans. She wasn't much for fashion on the job, but then, why should she be? She shifted her weight in her stolen regulation army boots, kneeling painfully on the searing tile.

A drop of sweat trickled down the length of her beak. She blinked to clear her sight, righting the crosshairs once more.

"Damnit, bitch. Come the fuck out where I can see you!" she hissed to herself.

She jolted as she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She spun around, aiming her rifle at the intruder.

"Kai! What the fuck are you doing here? Get lost!" she whispered angrily, lowering said weapon.

The lizard beamed happily, swinging her bowlies casually around a finger.

"Poe, the time has come to change your ways."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The next thing she knew, she was hogtied. Her rifle skidded off the roof with a dull rattle. Kai then set to the task of tying the bird's wings to her body.

"What the sam-hell do you think you're doing?" Poe screamed, struggling against her bonds.

"I'm taking you with me. We're running away."

"What the fuck? What about the job? What about Boss?"

"To 'ell with 'im. We're gonna get our names changed and get the bleedin' 'ell outa 'ere."

She motioned to her counterpart to help her. Poe's eyes widened.

"YOU!"

"I'd prefer Espio, but I guess 'you' works too. Now, I hope you don't mind..." he produced a roll of electrical tape from his coat pocket and proceeded to silence her with it by means of wrapping a strip around her large beak.

Protesting loudly, she found herself picked up and slung over the chameleon's shoulder.

"We're off, then." Kai stated happily, grabbing Poe's coat.

-o-

Rouge held her fingers to her temples, feeling a migraine coming on.

"I will never have kids. I will never have kids. I will never-"

She jumped as she felt a tug at her jeans. She looked down into the innocent yellow eyes of the child she had come to know as "li'l Nikki".

"What?"

"Can I play dress-up with your pretty clothes again?"

"NO! And I said no the first time, too. You tore my favorite shirt. Go away and sit quietly."

The girl pouted and skipped off to cause more mayhem.

A week without word. She'd called that damned missing person's office every day, sometimes twice a day. The runt was more than a handful and she was beginning to grow bags under her eyes from lack of sleep.

"God, why? Why punish me now? I was doing so well..."

She perked up when she heard a knock at her door.

"Please let it be her parents... God, please..." She ran to the door, swinging it open with a curt yank.

She stood there for a moment, eyes large with surprise.

"What? Don't remember an old friend?" the newcomer asked.

"I... you were the last person I'd expect to see... Wow... Hey, come on in! Sorry about the mess. I'm surrogate mom for awhile... what brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"Well," Shadow began, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he stepped inside. "Issues. It's complicated. Mind if I stay here awhile?"

"NOT AT ALL!" Rouge squealed with glee, throwing her arms around him.

"Eh? You seem overly glad..." he said, patting her back.

(((I don't know if you think this chapter's long enough, but I do, so tough titties. So, what's going to happen to Aka? What will Kai and Espio do with Poe? Why is Shadow at Rouge's house and even more perplexing, why is she so happy to see him?

Nikki: eee! Now I have someone new to play with -bounces annoyingly on Shadow's head.-

Rouge: havefunseeyabubye -flies far far away-

Shadow: good Lord, why did I come here?

A: alrighty, review this time. This goes double for Freeq Runner and Anonymous and dyingsoul36 if he gets the chance. Notice I left you a long-ass review. nudge nudge hint hint say no more say no more. Chao))


	12. A Turn For the Different

(((I hope you all received your kind emails! Glad to have you with us again, some of you who haven't stopped by in awhile. If I missed any of you, it was either because I forgot or I simply could not mail you for reasons unavoidable. (youknowhoyouare. BTW, kisses and big wonderful hugs!) Anyway, I know a few of you newcomers are reading this fic first. SHAME ON YOU! Read the first one first! This is the sequel -baps them all soundly on the head- like I was saying, I'm going to be introducing some new characters in the near future- hopefully more males being that about 85 percentof the characters I've thought up so far are female. That's a booboo on my part... Eh, forgive me later. I also realized I left some VERY key points out of the plot (therefore giving it the appearance of not being there at all) and shall try to stuff and shove and fit those in. I was preoccupied by lemoniness and pretty, sexy, sleek...-drools- expensive cars... ahhhhh... (BTW, if you'd like to see some pictures of these cars- I took them myself- goto the following place: http:www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?fprofile&leallenpoe)

P.S. Pat the Kitsune: I appreciate the fact that you take time to review. I love you for that even! But please, get your keyboard fixed so that you can type in lowercase like the rest of us. And... how old are you? Really? You need to be at least 17 in order to read this fic. Thank you for listening.))

Sonic: ok, time for character comments.

Radien: jolly good! Righto!

Shadow: why is he talking?

Rd: I say! What do you mean there, old chap?

Sn: haha! Ok, seriously, stop.

Rd: I do believe I feel like a spot of tea...

Sh: you should see a doctor about that...

Rd: -laughing pompously- hah! Hah hah! Righto, good one, old chap!

Knuckles: Someone make him stop...

: I don't even think I own my liver, so how could I own Sonic? (by the way, my liver belongs to the Society of Misplaced Mooses and Other Random Paraphernalia, or SMMORP. Sonic belongs to Nintendo/Sega. You can all sigh with relief now.):

_Chapter 12 - A Turn for the Different_

I actually thought I was going to be able to sleep in that morning.

Yeah, heh heh. Right.

I reckoned Tarsa had kept me up until at least three, and I was enjoying a relatively good sleep in that nice, fluffy and expensive bed. I was having a dream, I think... something about sand... and dark clouds... and a foreboding sense that an idiot was sprinting my way...

Suddenly, something flung itself at me, barreling over itself and ripping me from my pillow as we tumbled off the bed in a tangle of sheets.

I was about two shakes from pissing myself.

But when I finally realized my attacker was none other than my least favorite so-called "friend," I felt unusually obliged to do some assaulting myself.

"Wakey wakey, hand off snakey!" he said with a wide, idiotic grin.

Damn the fact that bastard is so fast. I almost had his stupid smiling face wrapped around my fist, but he leapt back onto the bed, causing me to sink my barbs into a probably-rather-expensive mattress. The ripping sounds that resounded weren't very reassuring.

Thankfully, Tarsa had gotten up hours ago, otherwise one, she'd probably want to kill Sonic for waking her up violently while she was still naked (and I don't want to fight her for the sole right to pummel hedgehogs) and two, she hadn't seen me ruin a perfectly good mattress for no good reason. She gets touchy about those kinds of things. So I decided I'd just make the bed really well and hope she never noticed.

"Knux, cool it. I was just wondering if you were still alive. It's like me an' Tails are in another area code or somethin'! It took me THREE MINUTES to get here! THREE! At medium speed! That's like... -counts on fingers- fifteen minutes for you!"

"Why are you here?"

"Oh, right. You slept in, so the servant/messenger whatever missed you. The big kahuna Fairchild dude wants us all in the library at... -checks his watch- oh, now.

"Nice of you to tell me so soon."

"THREE MINUTES, MAN! I ran, too."

"You always run. And when did the messenger reach you anyway?"

"Oh, a couple hours ago."

"Thanks. I mean it."

Everyone showed up except Shadow and Karpa. Two guesses on why THEY weren't outa bed yet... and Tarsa was wearing one of the pale pink blouses her sis'd had tailored for her with a khaki frilled skirt to match. Not bad at all... she was leaning against a bookshelf reading, totally apart from the rest of the group- mostly her family I guess- who were all talking in worried rushed voices. I was wondering what the heck could be going on that would twist all these rich peoples' frilled knickers in a knot. (Like my metaphor?)

"Tarse, what's up? Who died?"

She looked up at me blankly for a moment, then gasped an "Oh!" as she remembered.

"An assassin was caught last night! She tried to kill uncle Radien!"

"She? Assassins come in she's?"

"Yeah! And they said something about swords too! I can't get much more out of 'em. My own parents don't even talk to me all that much." She sighed sadly, looking back to her book.

Just then this really pretty yellow echidna stepped in, dressed in a blue cardigan and a black skirt. She didn't look too happy.

"Cecilia! Tell us! Has she spoken?" one of the nameless family members asked urgently.

"No, and I don't expect her to. She's a warrior of an older code. It would be a disgrace."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"It would be best if you all went back to what you were doing. We'll alert the authorities when we deem necessary. Until then, she will be held in the basement." She nodded and turned on her heel. Wow, everyone is so serious in this family...

Sonic hadn't heard a word. Instead, he had pried one of the display swords off a wall and was fencing with an empty suit of armor.

"Take that I say! And THAT! Foul cur, be gone with thee from my premises!"

"Sonic, knock it off. You look like an idiot." I warned.

"Dost thou challengist moi?" he said, posing, pointing the blunted sword at me.

"What is he doing?" rumbled an angry voice. Hmm, I've heard it somewhere... I turned around only to be face to... I think it was his face...with Karpa's dad. He was fifty? He looked at least a hundred and six...

"Sir, I told him to stop... he won't listen to me..."

"ENGARDE!" and Sonic crashed into the suit of armor behind me.

"I'll... I'll pay for that..." I stated sadly to the now-enraged prune-like face of Mr. Fairchild.

"Dad! Hey!" Tarsa took his arm and diverted his attention, smiling sweetly.

"Sonic has some... issues he's still working out with his doctor..." she tapped the side of her head with a finger. Her dad nodded knowingly.

"Right, I'll get someone to clean that up... Keep him in his room or... on a lead... just keep him away from the family heirlooms... or anything expensive for that matter..."

She nodded seriously. Sonic poked his head from the pile of armor, a gauntlet on his head.

"Is this expensive?"

I took the liberty of dragging him from sight.

(AN- just in case you're American and don't know, a lead is a leash.)

:;: (same time and scene, shift character focus)

Thank God for Knuckles. Sonic will be the death of us all... Anyway, I now had a rather displeased father in front of me, shaking his head sadly at our guests as they left.

"Tarsa, my dear, your mother and I need to have a word with you." He took my arm, leading me back towards the dissipating crowd of family members.

"Now, I know you're relatively new to us, so a few of our family customs and rituals might seem strange..." he began, looking at me with a bristle-browed serious frown. "But you are indeed an heiress to the Lumin... Indeed, the Lumin chose you to be its cleanser, its guardian..." we stopped in front of a large oaken door and he seized me by my shoulders.

"Tarsa Fairchild, do you promise me, swear to me that you will never disclose any of what you are about to see to anyone outside of the Fairchild line?"

This spooked me a bit. I played absently with the frills on my sleeves, biting a lip and looking at my shoes. What could possibly be this important and have anything to do with little unimportant me?

"y...yes. I swear." I looked back up at him. Strange, I just now noticed his eyes were green like mine... If I don't have anything else from my parents, I at least have his eyes, I thought.

(AN- I'm going to be extremely candid with you all. I have absolutely no fucking clue what lies behind that door. It's Cerebus's idea! Man, the suspense! What's going to be behind that door -munches on popcorn- )

He nodded, looking around to make sure we were alone, then slowly turned the handle...

-o-

Norah looked to Demi with concern in her deep brown face. He only nodded, glancing at the distraught mistress.

"You should talk to her. I've never been any good with these kinds of... things..." the young grey raccoon admitted. She nodded in reply.

"We've been through a few of these before together. It's an old song and we know all the words..."

Demi patted her back, motioning for her to go ahead. He stepped out of the doorway they had been standing in and closed the ornate gold door quietly.

Karpa sobbed from beneath her black sheets, curled in a fetal position.

_'why, my love...why...you confessed your love to me... you trusted me...and now, what crime could I have committed to make you despise me so? What could I have done to stop you? ... I only hope the distance puts you at ease... I hope someone can make you as happy as you made me...'_

"Karpa?"

"Not now, Norah..." she sobbed, choking on her voice.

"Tell me. I'm listening." The hedgehog said calmly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

There was a long silence, broken occasionally by a soft sob. Finally Karpa pushed back a sheet slightly, enough to peer over through reddened eyes.

"I'm pregnant."

Another long silence blanketed the half-lit room. Norah drew a quivering hand to her mouth in shock.

"You... know this... for a fact?"

"Yes. I had a blood test taken. And..."

"And he left..."

"Yes, he left. He could be anywhere."

The two women hugged tightly. Karpa clenched Norah's shirt firmly in her naked hand as she sobbed into her shoulder.

"He was a coward, then. You're too strong for him, love." The older woman soothed.

"He knew... he knew I knew the truth... and I'd never tell him..."

"What truth?"

Karpa shook her head, burying it deeper into her shoulder.

"Of his past... He couldn't remember anything and I'd never tell him because it was so... so... terrifying..."

Norah hushed her, rocking her gently as she had done so many years before. She thought silently how similar it was, a cowering little Karpie afraid of a monster...

"He was a coward. Let's leave it at that." Norah said with finality, planting a motherly kiss on the echidna's forehead. "And no Fairchild deserves a coward for a father. Your child must grow up strong."

Karpa nodded tearfully, smearing a hand across her reddened face to dry it.

The elderly maid placed a gentle hand to Karpa's midsection, smiling tenderly.

"I have to admit I can't wait... another little one to read bedtime stories to..."

They chuckled softly, hugging again.

"Oh, what would I ever do without you, Norah?" the heiress said, sighing.

-o-

_"Where have you gone... my wayward child...?"_

The voice came from far away, echoing against metal... .

_"... you don't remember, do you?"_

_"...no... forgive me... sing it for me again..."_

_"You don't need that now, my child. You must find your way. I can't guide you anymore..."_

_"just... One more time... One more time..."_

That musical laughter of hers, the breathtaking sparkle in her crystalline blue eyes...

_"Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup  
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe  
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind  
Possessing and caressing me..."_

_...Jai guru deva Om..._

I woke suddenly, eyes sliding open to the shaft of moonlight which had found me, lying on the couch. I blinked a few times, breathing deep through my nose, trying to separate my subconscious from reality, the dream still strong in my mind.

_Where have you gone, my wayward child?_

And yet, that sounded so unlike her... who was she anyway? How did I know her so well?

Damn moonlight...

I got up to close the blinds, then tripped over something warm unexpectedly, and in my half-woken stupor, fell.

"owies..." a small voice protested sleepily.

"Nicole, what are you doing on the floor?" I asked her irritably, rising.

"I like the floor. It's cozy here..." She mumbled, yawning and rolling over.

I'll never understand kids. I'd actually quite grown to loathe this one in particular. I guess this comes from not remembering my own childhood. If you've never been a kid, they seem alien to you, I suppose.

I closed the blinds over the large window, then stepped over the child and sat on my makeshift bed.

I was really beginning to regret coming here, but where else would I go? Back to that cave I woke up in? Back to building machines of what purpose is beyond me? This... this unfathomable emotion... The need for revenge, the craving for carnage... And no rhyme or reason to it at all.

No, I couldn't go back there. And I sure as hell couldn't go back to Karpa. That's her own gawdamn problem now. Not mine. I'm not the kind to get mixed up in relationships and fatherhoods or whatnot. Fuck that. Not my kid. Not my problem.

I couldn't go back to sleep now that all these issues plagued my brain, so I got back up, looking for my shoes. I needed a walk anyway. And I'd never been through the Mystic Ruins before... to my knowledge...

As I closed the door softly behind me, I cringed at the three short beeps from inside- Rouge's house alarm. It wasn't armed, but it let off those beeps every time a door was closed. I hoped it didn't wake her.

Ahh, the blessed refreshing sensation of cold night air streaming through my quills... the moon was full and the stars were bright... It was a breathtaking view from the peak of that crumbling pyramid in the center of the ancient city. I'm not much for exploring really, but this place begged for at least a little investigation. The carvings and depictions on the walls... it's hard to imagine what their lives must have been like- why they had erected such beauty and in whose sacred name...

I stood against the wind, feeling weightless. Vertigo made my mind swim as I gazed downward, out across the rainforest. I then looked to the stars scattered over the nightmarish black expanse of heavens above me...

_Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes  
They call me on and on across the universe...  
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box  
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe_

"Jai guru deva Om..." the words escaped my lips as if I had recited them a million times before. The sound of them was like a hug from an old friend... the meaning of them still escaped me, yet it stood right beyond the grasp of my mind... I pondered after it for a moment...

Suddenly, the wind died and I had to right myself and keep my balance. A little too close... Of course, a fall couldn't kill me, but I still had the instinct... how did I know it wouldn't kill me? Certainly, I knew my title as the Ultimate Lifeform... how and why were both conundrums. It seemed that the only parts of my past life known were those facts. I cannot die...and I am the Ultimate... My name is... is...

"Shadow! What are you doing out here?" Rouge whispered at me harshly from behind. I turned to look slowly, then raised an eyebrow at her questionable attire.

She hovered there, gliding on the remaining breath of wind blowing in from the mountains, clutching a very thin purple silk robe to her body. The wind played at the fabric, causing it to ripple fluidly, opening just enough to reveal her tanned legs to the thigh... I smirked slightly at this, wondering for a moment what garment- or lack of- could be beneath the sleek silk...

"Are you sleep walking or what? Helooooo? It's four AM! And why are you looking at me like that...?"

"Sorry... It's just that I've never seen this...much of you, Rouge..."

She sighed angrily and drew her robe more tightly around her slender form, giving me a flat glare.

"Get back in the house for Christ's sake. Go to sleep."

"Who wants to sleep when you have such a view?"

She didn't catch my joke and gazed out across the jungle, sighing happily.  
"It is rather nice up here... but the stupid alarm woke me out of a sound sleep and I had to go looking for you and... :yawn: I just want to go back to bed..."

She faltered in the air slightly, wobbling violently and flapping to keep her balance.

"Would you like some help?" I offered.

"Help? How could you-" she began, puzzled.

I pulled out my powerful gem and tapped into its power, causing time to freeze. Without further ado, I levitated to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and teleported.

She blinked a bit in confusion to find herself suddenly in her own living room. The golden sparks slowly faded one by one as our feet touched the plush carpet softly. A bit bewildered, she pulled away, folding her wings which had still been open. She brushed a lock of white hair from her face (AN- forgot to mention, she let it grow out) and nodded a curt thank you before striding quickly to the stairs.

"Goodnight, Rouge." I bid quietly.

"Yeah, 'night Shady." She said hurriedly, scaling the stairs and retreating from sight.

"Don't call me that..."  
I knew she didn't hear me, but it didn't matter. I flopped onto the couch, kicking off my shoes. What did this mean exactly? Was I after the bat now? She... didn't look half bad...she'd make for an excellent one-nighter, but unfortunately I didn't think I could avoid her after that... better off leaving her be, I concluded. Don't want history to repeat itself. Besides, the thought of a bat crossed with a hedgehog... Ugh... one ugly child. An echidna crossed with a hedgehog, though... My mind wandered after that, imagining what my own child might look like. It's too bad... Really... I'd like to meet him one day...

-o-

It was hot in that damned warehouse where they dumped me. The ropes were digging at my feathers and I just KNEW it would take me days to preen them all again. I just wanted to open my wings a little. That's all.

"Should we loose her?" Kai asked. Espio -I guess that's what his name was- looked at me with a hand to his chin, smirking. Ohh, just wait until I'm loose!

"I don't know... can we trust her not to get away?"

She looked at me skeptically, ears flaring halfway. "Poe? Answer his question."

Funny one, Kai. I frowned at her because my beak was still taped shut. She pulled out her curved knife, slicing along the crack of my mouth.

"BITCH! You're gonna get us all DEAD!"

"Answer the question." She said calmly, smiling.

"Yeah, you can trust me. Can't trust that I won't knock you into next Tuesday, but I won't be goin' nowhere..."

"Good enough." She then sliced me free. I ripped the tape from my poor beak and rubbed at my sore arms for a minute, stretched my wings a little. Good to be loose at least. (AN- for those of you confused about Poe's appearance, I went along with what Rouge looked like: both arms AND wings. That's how she can wear a jacket. It has slits for her wings, BTW)

"Now, you tell me what got in that scaly head a' yours ta tie me up like a hostage? And what in God's green earth are we doing running from Boss?"

The two lizards looked at each other and smiled.

"Poe, we're done with this business of death. We wanted you to join us." Kai stated happily.

"Join you? But... I'm an assassin! That's... what I am! Don't you get it? I kill, I get paid, and I keep on living! I don't have a problem with it! What else could I- could ANY of us do?" I panted for a moment after my tirade, standing.

"AND WHAT ABOUT AKA!"

They looked at each other again, then shrugged at me.

"We change our names and go far, far away." She said, almost seriously.

Espio pulled her close by the waist, grinning. "Australia?"

"Exactly."

They nodded.

"I give up with you two. Hell, if you can find some way to get a steady flow of cash, I'm up for it. I'm done with Boss. But I'm keepin' mah damn rifle."

"Fine!" they said happily. Lordy, what was going on?

((I was tempted to stop here, so I gave in. This has been a pretty long chappy... 3,860 words to be exact. Hey, that's better than average for me! I have ADHD! La! Anywhelps, I hope you enjoyed it, and I shall start typing the next one within the hour... or tomorrow... :yawn: oh, and you remember Karpa mentioning Demi and Norah from Cruel World. Just in case you were confused. Anonymous, I started typing that chapter BEFORE you reviewed, forgive us. AND IF ANYONE CAN USE ILLUSTRATOR AND DRAW REALLY WELL- ESPECIALLY IN THE SONIC STYLE, EMAIL ME! I suck at Illustrator and I'm too lazy to scan anything, so shitness be upon me. I want to see what my characters look like, too. And if you can't draw, email and yell atsomeone to draw for me. Ok, so, I've said everything on my mind. Almost. Ok, a piece. I'm going. Have a happy chocolate. Goodbye.))


	13. Where Do We Go From Here?

((ok, so maybe I'm a couple days late. Whatever. Gapth. I know you all wonder why I changed scenes right before Cerebus opened the door. Newsflash- I STILL don't know what's in there. A brick wall for all I know. I have no clue what Espio, Kai and Poe are going to do or where they're going. I have, however, already picked out a name for Karpa's baby. Go figure. Anywhey, I shall hammer this one out as I see fit and things will happen as they please. Good thing I have my characters to follow... if I didn't give any authority to them, I might not have a good story at all...))

Shadow: glad to know we still have a say in things.

Sonic: which is WHY there will be no yaoi... especially between myself and... And... and THAT -pointing at Shadow-

Sh: -pouts- I had my hopes. WAIT! STOP MAKING ME SAY THINGS! -takes a board with nails and cracks it over her head-

_FWACK!_

A: x.x ... ow...my head...oooo... pretty colors!... -falls over from blood loss-

Sn: BOOYA! The author's dead! We now rule the fic!

Knuckles: I hereby claim this fic in the name of grapes. -sticks a flag in author's corpse, proudly displaying a picture of grapes.-

: like Kenny, I will be back next episode. Never fear. I don't own Sonic although the characters now own my fic... so God be with us.:

_Chapter 13- Where Do We Go From Here?_

My breath caught in my throat as the door slowly opened in front of me...

"Tarsa! Love, come in!" my mother beckoned. I obeyed, looking around. The room was half-lit with black and gold-trimmed walls. Display cases lined the walls and filled the center of the room in an octagonal circle. In the center of these was a larger case containing a single fluorescent feather. My mother, or Mum as she liked to be called, was standing next to this circle of cases, beaming happily at me through her ruby red eyes. She wore an elegant white pantsuit, decorated with blue gems in a floral pattern, and sapphire-studded chains draped from her long tendrils. Man, she looked great for her age. I hoped I'd at least gotten that gene from her...

Dad smiled at me, closing the door behind him. He opened his arms, looking around at the cases. "These are pieces of our history, our ancestor's way of life. Many of these relics date back to when we believe the Lumin was discovered." He began.

"The oldest of these," continued Mum, "is this." She looked to the large feather.

Confused, I stepped up to it, taking a closer look. "What's it made out of?"

"That's the thing... no one was ever able to figure out exactly what it's made from. It seems organic... but it lacks all organic properties. Until now, the only clues we had were the hieroglyphs..." he gestured for me to follow him. He opened another door at the back of the room, and we stepped into a larger one, walls painted red.

"These are pieces of the ruins at Ostax, just northeast of here across the bay."

I looked around in awe at the huge chunks of wall, statues of ancient gods, and the large elaborate paintings and chiseled hieroglyphs.

One depiction caught my eye. Three golden echidnas bowed low before a large white one, probably set with alabaster. She wore robes in fine silver which was embedded into the rock, and there was a jetcrescent on her pristine chest. The eyes were slanted and outlined heavily,sapphire set for her irises. Her delicate hands seemed to reach out tenderly to the golden servants, and her tendrils seemed to float... What impressed me most about the goddess were the huge elaborate wings, detail etched in every mother-of -pearl feather.

"Lumina..." Her name slipped from my lips as realization hit. I placed a hand to my chest, feeling a familiar warmth...

(AN-I tried to draw this but it came out differently. I'll just say it's an entirely different depiction. Whatever. goto http// spaces. find "sketches." It's in there, don't remember where.)

"Yes, the ancients wrote that an oracle would help her take form so she could better serve her followers." He explained.

"Our line traces its roots to the very first oracle of the Lumin." Mum continued. "There was a prophecy that one day an oracle would be called forth from exile to defeat a newer evil."

I gasped. "Itshell! The whole battle... thing."

"Precisely. But there's more. The prophecy goes on to depict two oracles of completely different gems. Both powers shall exceed the combined power of the Lumin, and can only stay in check when a medium is established. Otherwise, the entities will involuntarily inhabit their oracles' bodies.

"Whoa... Glad that hasn't happened yet..." I said after a pause.

"We don't think it will be long." My mother warned.

"Okaaay..." I sat in a nearby chair, absorbing this news. "Now what?"

-o-

"SONIIIIIIIIIIC!" I screamed as I tried my best to fly after him.

He knew good and well he wasn't supposed to go into the basement! They all said so! Why won't he EVER listen?

"Comeon, Tails! I'll beat ya to the holding cell!"

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE THAT IS!"

He stopped so abruptly that I crashed into him, landing hard on my backside after I bounced off him. I need to gain weight...

He was pointing at a sign on the wall. It said "HOLDING CELL" and an arrow pointing the direction we'd been heading. Ah, make me look stupid, why don't you? Dumbass...

"Let's turn back before we get in trouble." I advised.

"Nahh, that's ok. I'm fine." And he took off again.

DAMNIT! Someday when I'm big enough, I'm going to beat the living hell out of that hedgehog!

He halted again, looking through a window in a door.

"Hey, check this out!" he said, pointing inside.

I peeked in a little warily. There was a woman... Looked like a raccoon but I couldn't tell. She was dressed in white leather or perhaps a pliable lycra polymer... anyway, it had too many zippers and I didn't like it. She was in a cell with a small cot, and was reaching through the bars trying to reach something on a desk nearby.

"You think she's in trouble? Should we help her?" he asked me. What an idiot.

"Hellooo? She's the assassin!"

"What assassin?"

"GAAA!" I pulled at my ears in frustration. How thick could he be?

"The one that tried to kill- wait! What are you doing? Don't go in there!" too late, he'd already opened the door and let himself in.

"Hey, what's up? You in trouble?" he asked her.

"OF COURSE SHE IS! She's an ASSASSIN!"

"Bah, you and your assassin nonsense."

The woman looked at us as if we were insane.

"You want that thing on the desk?" Sonic asked her, moving toward it.

"SONIC, DON'T GIVE IT TO HER!"

"Why not?" he picked it up and handed it to her through the bars.

"YOU NINCOMPOOP!"

"Thank you, I appreciate it." The woman said, smiling. The object, as it turned out, was a sheath, and she pulled a long sword from it.

"SONIC! LOOK OUT!"

"Whoa, she IS an assassin, then!"

She flipped the weapon in her hand, surprisingly pointing it to her own midsection.

"What's she doing?" Sonic squeaked.

"Fools, you know nothing of honor..." She whispered, closing her eyes, sucking a breath.

Just as she was about to plunge the sword into her own body, Sonic performed a violent spindash at the door, breaking it from the hinges, then snatched the weapon from her.

"Why would you do that? Why? That's so STUPID!" he berated her, hand clenching the white hilt angrily. I'd never seen him like this, actually... it was interesting.

Just then a servant- who happened to be a rabbit- came sprinting through the door, panting.

"I heard a noise... oh... What happened?"

"She tried to do herself in! I don't get it!" Sonic said, handing the rabbit the sword.

"Oh, she's been trying to do that all day. Something about honor and seppuku. No idea. Hey, thanks though." The servant said, taking it.

"You shouldn't be here, though. Why don't you move along?"

"We're gone." I said, grabbing Sonic by the arm and dragging him out the door.

"Bye! Seeya!" he said cheerfully, waving. What an idiot...

-o-

"STOP! CEASE! DESIST!" Rouge screamed, chasing the hyperactive ferret through her house.

"I DUN WANNA TAKE A BATH! I DUN WAAANAAAAAAA!"

"Rouge, if you need help..." Shadow offered, cracking his knuckles.

"No, I'm fine..." she stopped to pant for a moment, smoothing some stray hairs that had come loose from her bun from her face. She looked as disheveled as any average stay-at-home mom would look after almost two weeks of seven-year-old antics.

Nikki made a dash for the front door, giggling, then almost fell over in shock when Shadow appeared before her.

"eek... scary person..."

"Must we really continue this? Go take your bath."

"NEVAH!" and she turned tail and fled.

She squealed in fright as she found herself picked up and slung over a shoulder. Shadow calmly proceeded to carry her up the stairs.

The bath was readily drawn, bubbles and everything.

"Now, can I leave you in here to take the bath yourself, or do I have to throw you in clothes and all?"

She was quiet in contemplation for a moment.

"I'll be fine."

He let her down.

"If you make a mess, you'll be cleaning it up."

"I won't splash."

He nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

"Wow. You have a way with kids." Rouge said approvingly.

"Why would you say that? A good threat works on anyone." He replied with a smirk as he came down the stairs.

"Weird... I've never seen you like this. Even after... I mean, well, you're different."

He tilted his head at her quizzically, stopping at the last stair.

She shook her head, chuckling. "Nevermind. I just thought of something."

"Penny for your thoughts, Rouge." He smiled.

She laughed softly. "I was just trying to imagine you as a father."

His eyes widened. She didn't know the truth... Strange coincidence...

"And...?"

"And I think you'd make a good one."

He forced a chuckle, dragging a nervous hand over his quills and looking away. "Sure, Rouge. I bet."

-:-

Her door was open slightly, I remembered... I had crept from my own sleeping quarters after another long day of training. Despite how my limbs ached, I wasn't tired. Not in the least.

I was so young at the time, I was still easily frightened by my own overactive imagination. I was hoping she'd let me sleep in her room just one more night...

I heard... something... something I'd never heard before... it sounded like speech, and yet it wasn't like someone talking. I couldn't understand what it might be...

"Hey Jude, don't make it bad  
Take a sad song and make it better  
Remember to let her into your heart  
Then you can start to make it better"

"Maria...?" I squeaked timidly, pushing open her door a little more.

She looked up with a start as she had been brushing her hair. "Shadow! What are you doing out of bed?"

I quickly scrambled to her bed and climbed into her lap, curling up before she could protest. At the time, when tucked into a ball, I may have been no bigger than a basketball.

She laughed at this, hugging me and tickling at my sides. I couldn't help but reduce to helpless giggles.

"Hey Jude, don't be afraid  
You were made to go out and get her  
The minute you let her under your skin  
Then you begin to make it better"

I looked to her small stereo, ears twitching.

"What's that?" I asked, looking up at her.

"Oh, eh..." she sat in thought for a moment, rubbing the back of her slim neck.

"You know how I sing to you at night?"

I nodded. "An' when I'm scared."

"Yes, exactly. They're singing too, except they sing because it's fun... and ... other people enjoy it."

That made sense... I looked at my hands for a moment, leaning back against her and thinking.

"But what's all that other stuff?"

"Other stuff? Oh, that's music, sweetie. They use instruments to make the music to sing to."

"...okay..."

_And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain  
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders  
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool  
By making his world a little colder_

I woke with a start as something hopped onto my chest. I gasped, trying frantically to get the thing away from me, then stopped when I heard it snicker.

"I scared ya! I scared ya!" Nicole sing-songed, making a face barely visible in the dark.

"You don't want to make me angry." I growled low. She took the hint, hopping off and scurrying away.

I let myself drop back to the soft cushions, sighing. It seemed so much more real than it had been before... The scene was so vivid. The only thing missing was her face. Just the two blue eyes... no face.

_Hey Jude, don't let me down  
You have found her, now go and get her  
Remember to let her into your heart  
Then you can start to make it better..._

"I had to have heard that song somewhere..." I whispered to myself. The melody was so clear in my mind, it was as if I were listening to it... where were all these songs coming from all of a sudden?

"Shadow?" Rouge said croakily nearby. I hadn't heard her come down the stairs... strange...

"Hm?"

"Were you... singing?"

"... No... Why?"

"I... thought I heard singing..."

I sat up and looked at her, frowning.

"Have you ever known me to sing?"

Her dark form shrugged. "You could have done it in your sleep...?"

I lay back down again, smiling and shaking my head. "Go back to bed, Rouge."

((ok, I G2G. I may update later, I have no idea if I'll be continuing because I'm not "allowed". Bye.))


	14. A Predicament Indeed

(( Due to some rather convincing death threats, I was inclined to write another chappy in this fic before completely getting absorbed in the other. You may or may not have seen that it was going nowhere, but it was. After a short leave, I have jotted down a few new ideas for it. This DOES involve what becomes of Aka, what the Fairchild elders where warning Tarsa about, a confrontation between the parents and Knuckles regarding their daughter (:dramatic music:), a check-up on Kai, Espio and Poe in their temporary hideout (they're making plans to move…. somewhere. They won't know yet.), Nikki making her move on the vault and what Shadow's going to do about his predicament, and FINALLY the introduction to Morae. I really want to stuff Aria and Zephyr in SOMEWHERE, but I'm afraid they'll have to have their own fic. I have a whole story devised for them both, but you'll just have to see.))

Shadow: predicament? What predicament? I ditched tha bitch. End of predicament.

A: -bashes his baka head in repeatedly with a rather large fan- YOU HEARTLESS FUCKWAD! You are going to go BACK to her, APOLOGIZE, and MARRY HER! And then you shall both live HAPPILY EVER AFTER BECAUSE I SAID SO OR ELSE!-!-!-!

Sonic: wow, look at all the exclamation points. She means business.

Sh: That's ok, I think she ruptured my eardrums so I missed everything after "heartless fuckwad". :closed-eyed happy face :

Knuckles: …gra- -sees Aeyvi raise her fan in warning, hushes-

A: now, let's start with some uneasiness, shall we?

: the day I own Sonic and co. incorporated est. 1809 (all rights reserved, trademarked, copyrighted) is the day that Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp simultaneously ask me to marry them.:

_Chapter 14- A Predicament Indeed_

Things had settled down considerably at the Fairchild estate after the harrowing break-in. Cerebus had agreed with his brother on the account of their security, and Radien himself vowed silently never to be caught off-guard again.

However, the master and mistress of the mansion could not put off certain matters for much longer. These matters pertained mainly to their daughters and the escorts they had brought with them.

A summons was sent to the twins' rooms, requesting solely the presence of Shadow and Knuckles.

To their surprise, the summons for Shadow was sent back, informing the parents that he had left early due to important matters within his family. They hadn't even been informed of his departure. How very strange…

But now, Master Cerebus and Mistress Ulna were awaiting the scarlet youth in their drawing room, the father puffing at his pipe and the mother glancing through an old novel with little interest.

Knuckles stepped in cautiously as the door had been opened for him, eyeing the butler with suspicion. He stood, gnawing at his lower lip somewhat nervously as the door shut behind him.

"You…uh…s…summoned me?" he said meekly.

"Yes! Yes, Herman, please! Have a seat!" the fat old echidna beckoned. Knuckles cringed at the sound of his real name, but walked shyly to a leather couch and sat, clearing his throat and trying to decide a "proper" sitting position.

"You're surprised we know your birthname, aren't you?" the kind voice of the mother crooned as she turned a page.

"Well… yeah, maybe…. I mean-"

"Tut. Knuckles isn't a title fit for anyone below a common hooligan. Herman, though, that's a name that warrants respect! You should be proud of it!" Cerebus said matter-of-factly as he puffed another cloud of oily smoke from his pipe. "You shouldn't be surprised, any road. We do our due diligence. We know quite a bit about you."

Knuckles gulped a lump of fear, feeling sweat begin to bead on his face.

"We were quite impressed." Ulna began, looking at him over her thin gold-rimmed spectacles. "You've made quite a name for yourself, and you have such dedication! Your achievements give you something to be admired."

"But," Cerebus interrupted her, giving her a slight glare as she was getting ahead of him, "you don't appear to have much experience in business, or with money in general for that matter. All you really have is a severe perseverance to your guardianship, and what appears to be a strong liking to our daughter." He leaned in, resting his arms on his knees.

"The question here is…. Do you love her? And what plans do you have with her in the future?"

"ye….well…I …..bu……. didn't…… hadn't really…….thought about all that just yet….but…." he heaved a quivering sigh, feeling as if he were about to pass out.

"I do love her, Mr. Fairchild…..Cerebus….. Dad?"

"Mr. Fairchild will do."

"Yeah….well….yeah….. I mean….. look," he stood, fidgeting with his hands as they were encased once more in his crisp white gloves. "I love her, alright? I love her so much it hurts. I near died when she left for those two months…. She's like…. She's like water to me. Like air. I know that sounds like some old corny cliché, but I'm telling the truth here….. I can't live without her, and it would mean everything to me if you'd only give me your blessing…."

"Blessing for what?" Ulna asked, closing her book.

"For….for….for…well, just a blessing, you know? Ac….acceptance?"

"Do you plan to marry her?" Cerebus inquired.

"Oh, comeon… marriage is such a…. big… BIG… thing…. Can't we just live together for awhile and-"

"If you love her, you're planning to marry her." He retorted. "That's the way it works. We already had someone arranged to marry her in the case she were to return. All our marriages are arranged. Ever since the beginning of our line-"

"Goodness, Cerebus, you're going to make the poor boy faint!" his wife berated him, setting her book down angrily. "What he means is you're going to have to plan this out, child. Talk with her. You have to decide where this is all going. Arranged marriages! Humf! I wish I'd been informed on this 'arranged marriage' business." She hit his arm softly. He frowned at her, adjusting his glasses, mumbling to himself.

"Now go on. Dinner will be promptly at seven as always. We shall see you then." Ulna nodded, standing and taking Knuckles's hand in hers, patting it.

"Welcome to the family, Knuckles."

-o-

Another boring day was passing in their new life. Kai yawned, stretching as she lay against her new….. -she supposed the title "lover" was sufficient- on the battered old couch. How strange it all had been that past week. How everything had turned about face, as it were. Well, they were safe for the moment while their counterfeit IDs were being made, and Poe had gone out to buy some much-needed groceries for the following two weeks until they'd decided on a location.

"This show gets tiring after awhile…" Kai stated with flat boredom as they watched "Iron Chef" in the dissipating light that filtered through the drawn drapes.

"I'm not really paying attention…" Espio said in a monotone. His mind was elsewhere, itching at problems still unsolved. He tightened his embrace as his arms had been wrapped around her waist and kissed the back of her head softly. She sighed happily, snuggling closer to him.

"Poe might be gone awhile….." she said, suggestion in her voice.

"I don't know…. She said she'd be back in ten minutes….."

"We'll draw the chain across the door."

"She'll get mad….."

"Who cares?"

He leaned in and pecked her cheek playfully. "You're determined, aren't you?"

"Yes I am."

Chuckling softly, he began to nuzzle her neck, drawing her slender form onto his lap…

And her cell began to chime its jingly tune "Waltzing Matilda."

"That's probably Poe…" he said into the skin of her neck.

"Let it ring."

"It might be important…"

"Nothing that buzzard has to say is important. Don't stop or I'll be very mean….."

He chuckled again, now beginning to nibble slightly, hands sliding down from her waist…

A moment after the ringing had stopped, it started up again. Kai sighed angrily, turning round in his lap and straddling him, commencing a bout of full-on kissing. She was resolute not to be bothered.

On the third round of ringing, Espio had become irritated and lost of the mood. He pushed her off gently and reached for the offending device.

"What?"

"It's about gawdamn time you answered! Just what're you two doing over there anyway?"

"Kai's indisposed and I was hesitant to answer her private phone…"

"Ok, you guys were at it. It's understandable. Anyway, we've been found. I need you to pack it up. We're splittin'."

Kai wrenched the cell from his grasp, shoving it to her flared ear. "Who found us?"

"It's his personal assistant."

"FUCK!" Kai sat in silence for a moment, grimacing with a hand to her face. "We're fucked…"

"Kai, cool it! You have about twenty minutes. Meet me down the street about two miles south at a local mall. Seeya there."

She closed the cell, dragging a hand through her loose hair with anxiety.

"We better get packed…."

-o-

Rouge grabbed her water bottle and a towel as she headed for her private gym. She was wearing a baggy tee tied high above her midsection and sleeves rolled back with a snug-fitting pair of black biking shorts. Her ponytail bobbed as she trotted down the stairs. Shadow was reading a book he'd chosen randomly from one of her collections, contemplating the many things that had plagued his mind in recent nights.

"Shady! I'm gonna hit the gym, wanna come?"

He looked up, eyes widening slightly at the scant attire.

"I'll….I'll pass."

She shrugged, walking through a doorway and closing the door behind her.

Shadow shook his head of the absent, inappropriate thoughts that had begun to wander, and absorbed himself in the book…. which happened to be on astrology to his boredom.

A light blue head peeked around a doorpost cautiously, scanning the situation. The owner of the house was gone for the moment…. And the strange newcomer was engaged. Perfect timing. Well, three in the morning would have been better timing, but she couldn't force herself to stay up that late. So, she commenced her ploy…

Silently, she slinked across the room. She looked here and there for something heavy she might be able to tote with her to aid in her work, and finally decided on a moderately-sized ataman. She then dragged this across the length of floor between there and the false wall.

Now inside the secret room, she pushed the small article of furniture across the metal, heaved a corner of it onto a spoke of the wheel, and jumped on the cushion with force. With a creak, the wheel turned and the door swung open, causing the poor girl to topple precariously over the ataman. She was up in a moment, though, clapping her hands with greedy glee as she skipped inside the vault.

Looking through this drawer and that, she tried on various necklaces and bracelets, all sparkling brightly with precious gems. She marveled a tanzanite ring for a moment, admiring its cut (she knew her stones well for a seven-year-old). It wasn't long, though, before she found what she was looking for: a large, intricate crown that once belonged to a queen. It was set with rare blue diamonds and even rarer red pearls. In the center was the most expensive of all gems in the vault: a huge crimson star sapphire set in platinum. Nikki gave a gasp as she marveled the shining beauty before her, gently ventured to lift the treasure from its drawer.

The thing weighed half as much as she did. She cried out, staggering around under the weight, careful as she could possibly be not to drop it. The necklaces and bracelets swung in the way as she teetered in the direction of the exit. Perhaps her getaway wouldn't be as swift as she'd planned….

Shadow looked up from his book to the clatter of glass beads… or so it sounded. He looked over his shoulder momentarily to see the small child staggering under the weight of probably millions of dollars worth of jewelry. His brow furrowed.

Almost to the door…. If only she could reach the handle…. She managed to kick it open, then giggled as she made her way out the door. She'd have danced if she could.

Suddenly, she felt a weight lifted. The crown was no longer in her hands. She looked up in horror at the dark hedgehog who was glaring down at her.

"Is this yours?" he asked, indicating the crown in his hand.

"…..Yes. It is."

"I don't think so."

"Well it's not hers…" she whimpered in her defense, twirling a bead of black pearls around a finger.

"That doesn't make it yours."

"YES IT DOES!" she shrieked, leaping up suddenly and knocking the crown from his hand. Before he could grab her, she had heaved the thing over her head and made a dash out the door.

"Oh, you think you can outrun me?" Shadow blasted off after her.

He had to halt suddenly, though, being that she was nowhere in sight. He glanced around fervently. She couldn't have gone far….. not with that much to carry…. He dashed off to search the premises just in case.

Rouge was just coming out of her steam room as a dark form burst into her private spa suddenly, stirring the steam in the air. She shrieked, covering herself with a towel.

"I HAVE A GUN! AND MACE! AND A NASTY CASE OF HERPES!"

"Cool it, Rouge. It's me. And I didn't see anything." Shadow said, looking around.

"W…what's wrong?"

"It appears 'lil Nikki' has made off with half your most prized gems."

She gasped. "Not the Arc deu Vamprine crest!"

"If by that you mean the big crown with the red stone in the center, then yes."

She began to cry. "Parenting just isn't worth all this!"

"I've been searching for her for the last half-hour. She can't have gone far… but I don't know for the life of me where she went!" he made a snarl of aggravation.

"I'll get dressed and take a look from the air. You go check the jungle."

He nodded and sped out the way he came.

Nikki peeked from the hole she had retreated to. It worked perfectly. He hadn't seen her. She felt it was safe to make her getaway. Pulling her cell from a pocket, she dialed up her accomplice.

"Uncle Naaaaaack!"

"What? You're not dead?"

"Noooooo…. The nice Rouge lady took care of me all this time!"

"You little con artist! Haha, you're related to me after all! Tell me, were you successful?"

She was quiet for a long moment.

"Well?"

"I have to go, they're looking for me."

"What? Who-"

She hung up quickly, then started to stuff her little backpack with glittering wealth.

"I don't need him. He just wants it for himself, greedy greedy mean old uncle Nack…. They're mine. I found them… they're mine…."

And with some difficulty, she slung the pack over her shoulders and jogged off into the jungle.

-o-

"NOO! You don't understand! Let me- UNNH! LET ME DIE!" Aka screamed as she struggled in the grasp of the policemen. The helicopter awaited on the rooftop to take her to a jail on the opposite shore several miles away.

They managed to keep the cuffs on her while she was stuffed in the cramped, doorless aircraft, and it took off shortly with little difficulty.

She glared at the floor, struggling against her bonds and wishing for her katana, at least one of her tontas. No use.

A loud crash of thunder resounded from the darkened sky and rain blew through the 'copter as it fluttered forth over angry waves.

_'How can they do this to me? Don't they know what's honorable? If only they'd understand… I can't go on living with the shame of failure….. even to the weakest of enemies….. I don't deserve to live…..'_

These thoughts grew in volume until it was painful for her to breathe. She gave a final jerk at the handcuffs with a beastlike grunt, freeing a hand. With this, she drove the heel of her palm into one of the policeman's noses and threw herself from the helicopter.

As she descended rapidly to the frothy waves beneath, she sighed peacefully, awaiting the icy cold release.

…. But would she reach it?

(( the answer to that question remains entirely up to you, fine readers! Do you want her to live? Or do you hate her with a passion and want her dead? Do you sympathize with her? Do you believe that such disgrace deserves death? Talk amongst yourselves…. ha, ok, nevermind. I'm just trying to strike up some healthy discussion. Seriously, what do you think? Review, please, and speak your mind. ))

Radien: KILL THE BITCH.

Sonic: you sicken me. -shakes his head and walks away-

Knuckles. -looking at Aeyvi uneasily- …grapes -and gets slapped several times with a rather large fan- I take it back! I do! OW!


	15. Enter the Assistant

(((This is a chapter written in my aforementioned absence. I don't doubt there will be several. Anyway, I'm about as amazed as you are that I'm actually writing two (wait… THREE) stories at once. This comes from me being one, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorderly, and two, being able to multitask for some strange reason. I'm not mentioning the fact that I'm also writing various scripts and a course on teaching for teachers. (they're going to get me back into video production next week. Damn the fact they found out I can write…. This shit is boring as all fucking get-out.) Anyway, I have some answers to a lot of questions that were presented in chapters previous in this one. Hope it clears some things up for you guys. Ok, so here we go…))

Sonic: Aeyvi, you suck. Unpleasant things.

Knuckles: yeah.

All: …………… (waiting for him to say "grapes")

K: ……what? Oh, grapes.

All: -sigh of relief-

A: ok, whether or not you care, there will be a bit of a spoiler for Sonic Heroes. Deal with it. I added a bit of my own storyline anyway, so it probably doesn't matter.

: what do you think? Can one as blonde as me truly own Sonic and Co.? I sincerely doubt it. :

_Chapter 15- Enter the Assistant_

The lightening streaked the sky, flickering for a few moments before fading. The rain still pelted the tempestuous sea, and the sound of helicopter blades could be heard as the craft faltered in turbulence, heading for the shore.

A large cargo ship had been making its way steadily through the dark storm not long ago. One of the workers had stepped out into the rain to clear his head, having received message that his youngest daughter had come down with a serious fever. The squirrel sighed heavily, staring up at the dark clouds, tugging his jacket tighter around him.

Suddenly, something large and white fell from the sky, causing a clang as it hit the metal deck. The squirrel gasped, rushing out in the rain to see what it was.

To his utter surprise, it was a woman. A raccoon, by the looks of her, some rather expensive-looking tight-fitting clothes adorned her. She had landed pretty hard, but she was in one piece. He removed one of his dark gloves with his teeth, propping her up with one hand and placing the bare hand to her slender neck, feeling for a pulse. She was alive, appeared to be breathing; but in looking her over, he found a nasty gash at the base of her skull. Hopefully she'd wake up from it.

He took the woman in his arms, rushing back inside.

-o-

He emitted a low, aggravated growl as he stood at the top of the steep ledge. The ladder was the only way out of the jungle to his and Rouge's knowledge, and Nikki couldn't have gotten there before him. Inconceivable.

"Shadow, I can't afford to leave my house alone for much longer!" Rouge shouted as she flew towards him. He nodded curtly, glancing to the side.

"Go ahead."

"Ok, just warning you, I'm going to be locking down. If you need to get any of your things, now's the chance to go back and get them."

He nodded again, and she swiveled in the air, gliding back the way she had come. Shadow summoned the power of his emerald and disappeared.

_Nothing's gonna change my world….._

_'Right.'_ he agreed with his subconscious.

He appeared in the living room, collecting his things- and stealing one of Rouge's books in the process (he'd return it when he was finished) and disappeared once more.

"Now to wait it out, I guess…." He said aloud to himself, standing once more on the ledge. He set his bag down, gazing for a moment longer over the brilliant green of the jungle. He sat cross-legged for lack of else to do.

"Well…. What now, hedgehog?" he chuckled slightly at the fact he was talking to himself, leaning back and resting on his hands. He was good at waiting. He could definitely wait a little longer. While he gazed at the clear sky, his mind wandered back to the confusion after his waking…..

He'd woken up in a dark cave with no idea where he was or how he'd gotten there. All he had was a severe migraine, sharp back pains, and absolutely no recollection of his life theretofore. There had to be one, he reckoned. And he had knowledge of several things, most of them irrelevant. Something about chaos emeralds….. the construction of a multi-purpose destroyer drone…. _'What? How did that make sense? I was an engineer? An inventor?'_ He quickly realized that wasn't all he knew. The shoes he wore bore powerful jets of some kind, and he could maneuver in them expertly. This is how he escaped from the dark cave. Hopping from wall to wall, giving a blast from his jets when he needed it…. he was out in the sunlight in no time.

He took off running without knowing or caring where he was headed. How strange…. How sad…..

_'I wish I could remember something… like… like at least my name… and what the hell is a chaos emerald? Chaos control for that matter…?'_

Four words responded to his confusion, as if an answer to all questions….

"Jai guru deva Om……." He spoke them aloud, smiling. Yes, those words held some kind of sentimental value…. and he laughed, wondering how he could link such a word as "sentimental" to himself. He lay back on the dry rock, gazing at a single cloud as he continued to recall his only memories.

He had found himself at the base of a huge, lush rainforest- nowhere near the one he overlooked at the moment. This one had been gargantuan. The trees rose several hundred feet in the air, blousing at the top like huge mushrooms. He discovered quickly that certain sturdy vines could be skated on, and took to grinding, climbing, jumping, and swinging his way upwards.

_'Why the hell not? It'll be a good vantage point and maybe I can see more from up there…'_

He almost fell off of one of the organic "platforms" in fright when he heard someone screaming angrily at him….. or at least he supposed they were….

"SHADOW! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO? We've been looking for you everywhere! You can't just go skating off like that when you get a wild quill up your ass to do so!"

"wh… what?" he asked, wide-eyed and now thoroughly confused.

The one who had been screaming at him- a white bat in a tight stealth suit, landed nearby and set her fists on her hips, glaring at him with fiery blue eyes.

"Don't play stupid with me, mister! You got all pissy because you saw that robotic clone of yourself. Newsflash- that DOESN'T MEAN you're a robot too! Sure, I mean it could…. But there are ways of checking…." She set her chin in her hand in thought for a moment.

"…Who….. who are you? Do I know you?" he asked.

"What? Hellloooo? Can't you remember anything for five minutes together? ME ROUGE! YOU SHADOW! And that…." she shoved a thumb over her shoulder, indicating a large demolition drone that had rocketed up behind her. "… is Omega. Disregard any strange computer jargon he happens to mumble. I think he's missing a chip somewhere…."

"So… I do know you, then…." he sighed with relief. "Who am I, did you say?"

"Shaaaaadooooooow." She said slowly, as if speaking to a complete idiot. "Did you hit your head? No wonder you keep forgetting things…..Hey, are you bleeding?"

He felt at his quills, pulling back a gloved hand stained with blood.

"See? That proves it! You are not- in fact- a robot. Alright? Are we going to stop moping now?" she berated.

He looked back to her, frowning. "You're very rude."

She only laughed at him, flitting to a vine nearby. "Come on. We're never going to catch that fat bastard by standing around. We gotta get through this rainforest!" she slid down the vine with ease. The drone followed suite. Shadow shrugged, hopping on a vine and following the other two.

"I'm going to find the truth to who I really am….."

That had been the beginning of his first adventure….. at least that he could remember. Whatever she was talking about, he couldn't quite grasp. Had it really only been a few moments ago he had been with these two? Chasing after this mysterious "Eggman?" He seemingly knew the truth about Shadow's past, so therefore he was compelled to see for himself. Unfortunately, he never made it. As they were on their way to find Eggman's "secret treasure," as Rouge put it, he had some kind of hallucination. He still wasn't sure… but for a moment before he plummeted to earth from the high altitude, he could have sworn he'd seen….. himself…….

He woke up perhaps days later in the middle of a desert, seriously bruised but not much the worse for wear. Now without purpose, he set off for the first place he remembered, the cave. He was discombobulated and unfortunately not thinking too clearly…..

Bits and pieces of his memory were falling into place, and there were times during that futile strife that he almost believed he knew what he was doing…. piecing together parts of destroyer drones, SWAT bots, anything he could find within the parameter of the rainforest. He obviously had been a genius in his previous life….. that was clear…. But the strange thirst for carnage… the hunger for revenge…. He still hadn't a clue as to why he was feeling these things….

"And there I was…. That's where she found me…."

He was in a sort of trance when she had slid down that cord like a graceful spider…. He had mentioned things to her that he now could not remember. There was purpose to those words, so he thought …. She had rescued him, unknowingly, from his own insanity.

He smiled lightly, closing his eyes, recalling the scent of her hair….. magnolia…. It was her favorite perfume…… she was so….perfect…..

His eyes snapped open, he sat up hastily. _'No, stop. You don't need to think about her right now.'_

He shook his head, dragging a hand through his quills half-heartedly. _'I told her I loved her. Does that make me a liar? Does that make me a coward?'_

_'Cut it out! Don't think about it! Not your problem… not your concern….'_

"Well, what the hell IS my concern then?" he shouted, causing a flock of green parrots to light, frightened from a tree, squawking as they fluttered away.

His other half remained silent on the matter.

"I'd think a kid would be a pretty big fuckin' concern, wouldn't you?"

_'You're afraid.'_ It stated calmly.

The truth in that quiet statement made his heart sink. It was true. He was scared out of his mind. The thought of being tied down like that…. having that much responsibility…..

_'Nothing's gonna change my world…… I won't let it. I won't.'_

He sat back again, unsure of where to go, what to do. Nothing left….. but to sit there…..

And wait.

…. For what?

(AN- you'll see what I'm talking about concerning the flashback when I get further along in "Sweet Reveries." It'll be near the end, though. We go into detail on how the real Shadow got mistaken for the clone halfway through the game. Funny, though, neh?)

-o-

"We need supplies! Who knows how long we're going to be on the run? Come ON, Poe! It's an emergency!"

The bird shook her head. "If we use a card, it could be traced. We need cash."

"I'll take me chances! We don't have time to sit around and beg for pocket change!"

"What's the commotion about?" Espio inquired as he strode up to them, hands in pockets.

The arid summer heat was making the two females a little testy, and the strong fumes from the gasoline weren't helping. They had stopped at a gas station to fill up, in turn spending the last of their combined loose money. All they had left between them were a debit and two credit cards. And, as Poe had so rightfully said, they could all be easily traced by Boss.

The loud roar of a motorcycle was heard as it pulled up. A weasel stepped off it and proceeded to refresh its fuel, adjusting his hat as he did so. The three eyed him warily and moved behind the SUV to converse.

"Seriously, mine is a 'company card' of sorts…" Espio began. "There isn't a specific name on it. It'll be harder to trace. Just use mine." He produced his wallet from a pocket, pulling the card from a fold.

"Are you sure?"

"Poe, he's sure. Let's just get some supplies."

The two girls stepped inside the mini mart to get a few bare essentials while the chameleon minded the refueling. He watched the weasel with distrust as he placed the pump back on its handle and went inside to pay.

"Hey…. Excuse me…?" the weasel tapped Kai on the shoulder. She turned to look at him, a potato chip hanging out of her mouth.

"KAI! You have to pay for those first!" Poe scolded. She ignored the bird, crunching on the chip, and looked to the stranger.

"Can I help you?"

"Were you… by any chance… coming from the Mystic Ruins? Station Square, perhaps?"

"Yeah, we just come from there… Station Square, that is. Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if you'd seen this girl…" he pulled a weathered picture from his belt (she thought it odd that he'd wear a belt with no pants) and handed it to her. She looked at it cross-eyed for a moment, thinking. (she does that when she thinks.)

"Sorry. Can't say I have. She your daughter?" she inquired as she handed it back.

"Oh, no… she's my niece... my sister's daughter. She ran away a couple days ago. My sis is worried sick…" Kai thought it odd that the stranger's voice was calm…. He should have been a little more concerned.

"Well, good luck, then."

"Thanks… I'll need it."

"KAI! We're LEAVING!"

"Oh, don't get your feathers in a twist. I'm coming."

She waved goodbye to the stranger, who stood awhile after she'd left, sighing angrily.

Pale orange eyes watched as the black SUV pulled away. They then fixed on the lavender figure coming out of the store.

"So…. They have an outside accomplice…. Interesting…." purred a heavy French accent.

Can't take them out till later. There was a tracer on their car anyway. What interested the assistant, at the moment,… was the weasel.

The assistant started the engine of the Maserati, watching as the weasel mounted his motorcycle, kicking it into gear.

Nack wasn't an idiot. He had noticed the silver sports car was following him the moment he pulled out of the gas station. He let it trail him for a few miles, glancing in his rearview from time to time. He couldn't get a good look at the driver's face….

Instead of heading for Station Square, he took to a smaller state road. It was pretty empty and it would prove his suspicion.

Sure enough, that damn sports car was tailing him. He picked up speed, his bike- being no ordinary motorcycle- kicking it into MPH in the three digits. The car followed suite.

"Someone wants to meet me….." he cracked his toothy grin, swerving suddenly into the right-hand lane. The car shot forward, surprisingly now only a few feet behind him.

He watched in his rear-view as the driver lowered a window. Suddenly, a torso hung out the window, pistol cocked and aimed.

"Oh SHIT!"

He frantically swerved back into the left lane, yanking his gun from his belt. He ducked when he heard the crack of gunfire, turning around and firing back. He got a couple shots at the windshield, but he couldn't aim too well while he was trying to steer.

He hadn't gotten a good look at the assailant…. A flash of mauve. That was it. Still, the bastard had pretty good aim. Another crack resounded and one of his rear-view mirrors was shattered. _'Gawdamnit…'_

He turned around again, firing seven consecutive rounds at the driver's seat. The car swerved violently, but regained itself, lurching forward and ramming his bike. Had it been any other bike, he would have been thrown from it and instantly made roadkill. Fortunately, he was still in the seat, and he poured on the speed.

The car kept close. Three rounds were fired directly over his head, and he returned fire with seven more (he had a pretty big magazine- about fifty rounds).

Without warning, Nack swerved into the right lane and swiveled to a skidding stop. The car, slower to react, skidded for some time in a fast spin before it halted. By that time, the weasel was already long gone, speeding the opposite direction.

"Mierde!" the driver screamed, hitting the gas and shooting off after him.

Nack chuckled to himself, going the wrong way up an off ramp.

"I dare ya to follow me now…. See how you like rush hour…."

(AN- and the chase will continue in the next chapter. Moving on before I forget what I'm supposed to write next.)

-o-

"So… uhh, Mom… Dad…. It's been fun…." Tarsa began uneasily, addressing her parents. "And… uhh… we were thinking about heading back. Y'know, to Monotreme."

"Sweetheart…." Her mother began, rising from her chair. "We can't let you go."

"… Why's that?"

Her father sighed from behind his desk, resting his arms on it.

"We have concerns about the Lumin…. We don't want you to go until we're sure you're not going to have an episode…"

"Episode? What? What do you mean? The whole 'taking over my body' thing you guys told me about?"

They nodded solemnly.

"Oh, psh! It didn't say when! You said so yourself!"

"Yes, well…. Tarsa, please don't make this difficult…." Her mother pleaded

"Mom… Mum… Mother, listen. I have a life. I have a job to get back to. Knux is probably getting anxious and wants to get back to check on the Master Emerald."

"Let him go. We want you and Karpa to stay with us… at least for another month…."

"DAAAAD!"

"Don't whine. It's for your own good."

"But Daddy…." She threw on some sad puppy eyes.

"Doesn't work. Your sister wore it out."

She growled. "Fine. I'll go tell the guys."

"There's a good girl!" her mother praised, sitting again as the younger stormed out of the study.

"Knuxieness? Where'd you go?" she called as she searched her room. She poked her head in the bathroom to see if he was showering.

"Knux?"

She screamed as she felt strong hands wrap suddenly around her waist from behind, struggled as she felt teeth nipping at her neck.

"Tarse, cool it. It's just me, for Pete's sake…" the rasped voice of Knuckles soothed in her ear. She spun around, straightening her skirt angrily.

"Don't scare me like that…. anyway… my parents say you can go home so you can check up on the Master Emerald. Might as well take Sonic and Tails with you."

"Oh, let those two go. I don't have to rush on back any time soon." He smiled.

"But… the emerald…"

"..is in my bag. I shrunk it and brought it along. You never know, y'know?" he tugged her into a tight hug, pressing against her suggestively.

"Shrunk? What? Who- hold up, mister!" she protested, pushing him away. "Explain?"

"I shrunk it. It's possible. Amazing the things you can do with it…" he stepped away from her, looking for his bag.

"So you just shrink it and take it with you, eh? That simple?"

"Not always. This place is safe because of all the security. When I was living in the city, I couldn't have it with me because it was too great a risk." He pulled the glowing gem from a pocket in his bag, holding it out for her to take. It wasn't much larger than a softball.

She stared in awe at the glimmering facets for a moment, only slightly noticing a warmth growing from the center of her chest.

"It's beautiful, for sure…." She was about to hand it back when suddenly, she found she was unable to move. Her pupils narrowed to pinpoints…..

"Tarsa….? You ok...?" Knuckles reached out to touch her shoulder.

The second his hand touched her, there was a brilliant light and pain raked his spine. He screamed in agony as the light engulfed them both in a blinding explosion of raw energy….

((HOLY CRAP! What's gonna happen NEXT? For once, I actually KNOW! Isn't that fabulous?)))

Sonic: absolutely. Where'd I go?

Tails: I'm being neglected. Child neglect over here!

Shadow: T.T my heart bleeds for you.


	16. Oh my Goddess!

(((Woo, suspense, neh? Now we have a high-speed car chase/gunfight, Nikki's STILL missing, Aka's alive, Sonic and Tails are being completely neglected from the story…. Kinda hard to do since the category reads "Sonic the Hedgehog," right? Oh, and SOMETHING just happened to Tarsa and Knux. I alone know what it is, hee hee.

Sonic: for once, she knows where these strange happenings are going.

Nack: woohoo! I gots a bigger part in tha fic -does little awkward weasel dance-

Knuckles: grapes, he's weird.

-.-.-it's a little obvious that I don't own Sonic by now. And the game industries are fighting so, I'm not entirely sure who does. Look it up. I'm lazy.-.-.-

_Chapter 16- Oh My Goddess!_

Paranoia was thick in the air of the cool SUV. AC on full blast, some quiet rock playing, we were silent. All probably deep in thought.

I looked to Espio as I was sitting shotgun (as usual) studying his expressionless face for a hint of emotion. My satisfaction came when he looked to me and smiled, golden eyes whispering reassurance. I took his arm, nuzzling against it and sighing. That's all I needed.

"So…" Poe began, looking out the rear window cautiously. "No sign of anyone following…. You don't think they have a tracer on us?"

We didn't reply. Mainly because I'm pretty sure neither of us had a clue. Should've grabbed an extra bottle of Johnny Walker when I had the chance….. I'll need it later…

"What if…"

"Poe, truthfully, I don't want to fathom 'what if.'" And with that, I turned up the volume, the earthy voice of our late Janis Joplin soothing a few of my mental pains.

The road was clear ahead and behind. Espio kept to the lesser-used backroads to avoid unnecessary exposure. It would take a little longer, but the way was rather scenic…

I've forgotten to mention where we were headed. Well….. eh….. I wasn't quite sure. Poe had gone over the map with Espio at a previous stop, and I wasn't really paying much attention… shame on me. Well, if it came my turn to drive, I suppose I'd be filled in. Anyway I had faith in the two of them, my hubby mainly. Hubby, heh. Cute word, ain't it? That's the title I gave the strong, silent stranger sitting juxtapose from me. Not "boyfriend" or "lover." (although I suppose the latter would be appropriate now…) Just hubby. He'd look at me funny if I told him. I'll keep it to me'self.

What happened? How did I swing back into the straight lane so quickly? I thought for sure I'd sworn off men for good at age fifteen (we go through all sorts of strange stages at fifteen. Mine just happened to be permanent). I guess it was a long phase of sorts…. or maybe it just took the right man…..

I closed my eyes, resting my forehead against his arm. The cool air was beginning to make me sluggish and drowsy, and it might have been a few hours before our next stop. I dozed off to the sweet tones of Janis' "Summertime."

( AN-Both Kai and Espio are cold-blooded. Ever notice lizards get lethargic in the cold? Yeah, well, there ya have it! I bet you never thought of that, huh?)

-o-

Elsewhere, heading the opposite direction and toward oncoming traffic….

To tell the truth, I was having fun.

It had been a year or two since I'd been given a run for my money…. Not countn' the little confrontation with that Rouge….. and I hadn't given Queenie a good workout in a longer while than I'd like.

(AN- Nack calls his motorcycle the "Glorious Queen" or some equally odd name…. my version is an enhanced version of it, with wheels because the whole hover thing seems too strange for me at the moment.)

Lucky for me, I know a thing or two about maneuvering. Damn lucky. My heart was thumping in my throat as I swerved between cars, the loud blare of car horns and the screech of tires in my wake. Hell yes! What a rush!

Unfortunately, this didn't faze my new adversary. He just went ahead and plowed into a small sedan, sending it careening into the median. The other cars were smart enough to steer clear.

"Damn… persistent bastard…."

I kicked into overdrive, hearing the engine roar, satisfyingly deafening. My pursuer was left in the dust.

I swiveled around and hopped on an exit when I found one. I decided I'd be better off heading for a city. Monotreme? What kinda name is that? Ah, who gives. A city's a city. As long as there's a nice alleyway for me to hang out in 'till the coast's clear… maybe even a couple jewelry stores calling for my attention….damn that Nikki. I thought her mom woulda taught her better than-

I almost fell off my bike as that gawdamn sports car rammed into me again. He better not have left a dent…..

So, I sped ahead again. I figured I'd wasted enough bullets on this fucker, and I couldn't aim worth shit turned around on a bike. The race was on.

I weaved between a few more cars and cut off a semi. Close shave….. Anyhow, the Maserati was left behind and I was on my way to safety.

I pulled into a nice dark empty ally and hopped off my prized bike, immediately checking it over for damage. A SCRATCH! Ohhh, that sonofabitch would pay…..

I sat heavily and rested against a dank brick wall, catching my breath and removing my hat. A run for my money if I ever had one. Yup. Today was a good day.

I watched the sky grow dim, the city illuminating in its nightly fluorescent glow… I was content to stay put until my stomach protested otherwise. Ah, well. He may have given up by now. I wondered which person I pissed off to deserve this. Then again, there are a few…

I reloaded my pistol, grabbed my pack from Queenie, and headed out to find some cheap food. Free preferably.

As I was stepping out of the ally, I heard a metallic click, and froze to the spot. My stomach sank, and the stab of hunger left instantly. He found me. Oh, fuck….

"You put up quite a chase. Congratulations."

The voice was feminine. Surprise there. She had a heavy accent, close to French, but there was something else to it…. I turned to have a look.

She was a cat, mauve in color, with creamy off-white tufts on her chest and tail. Her eyes shone eerily in the dimness, reflecting the dull lamplight above. (AN- you know, when light reflects off a cat's corneas? That freakish evil glowy-eye thing? Nevermind. --)

She wore a brown buttondown shirt with the sleeves pushed up and some tight, hiphugger jeans. Not bad…. I'd have hit on her if she weren't trying to kill me. Of course, it may have come to this anyway in that case. Hehe.

"I have a few questions. I'd appreciate it if you answered them."

I shrugged. "Shoot."

She stepped closer, her pistol still trained on me. She tilted her head slightly, glowing eyes narrowing as if she were sizing me up. I fought against the urge to squirm with discomfort.

"What connection do you have with the Unholy Trinity?"

"The who?" I then realized that was the wrong answer. I winced as she touched the cool barrel of her gun to my forehead.

"I will ask you again. What connection-"

"Awright! I heard ya the first time!" I twitched an ear in nervous annoyance. "Look, lady, I don't have a fucking clue what yer talkin' about! Now if you'd get that thing outa my face, I'd be obliged."

I yelped and ducked as she fired a round over my head. The bullet had grazed my ear and BOY did it sting….

"Last chance."

"Hey, what answer do you want? What do you want me to say? I don't know!"

She rammed her gun into my temple forcefully, baring her sharp teeth. How a harmless little cat could be so intimidating was beyond me… but she was. It was "yes ma'am" from then on. Yup. That's for sure.

"The lizard. You gave her something at the gas station. Where did you send them, eh? What instructions did you assign to them?"

"Who…. the… what….but…. look!" I pulled out the little wallet picture of Nikki. "I was asking her if she saw my niece! That's it, I swear! I'm just an average guy! Please believe me here…"

She took the picture from my hand to look at it, removing her gun from my head. My body slumped with relief and my knees felt a little weak. I'll be fine, I'll be fine. Whew…

"I'm inclined not to believe you, weasel." She stated simply, handing back the photo.

"Why? Seriously, I'm not the kinda guy to help people out…. If that's what you're accusin' me of."

She just stared at me narrowly for a few more minutes, then slipped her gun into a holster strapped to her leg.

"I'll be watching you. For your sake, I hope you're telling the truth."

And with that, she turned and walked away. Good riddance. Bitch…

I staggered back into the ally and sat back against the wall, waiting for the adrenalin high to wear off. I'd have to watch my back a little better from now on…..

-o-

_…… remember the code……_

_"yes….. I shall…."_

_Victory warrants reward, an inner fulfillment and no more._

_"Disgrace…."_

_Disgrace warrants duty, the duty is seppuku._

_"I know…."_

_You cannot live with disgrace. That breaks the code. The code is bushido, and no one is above it._

_"Seppuku…… duty….."_

Her hand instinctively reached for her tanto, but felt damp sheets instead.

"The duty….. my duty…."

She opened a dark brown eye, wincing against the light, drawing shallow, uncertain breaths.

"W…wuh…."

"Ey! She's alive!" a skunk called to his shipmates.

"….unfortunately…"

Both eyes opened wide, taking in her surroundings. What she could see was a low room painted in tainted chipping white paint, a sink with a cracked mirror above it in the corner. A string fastened to opposing pipes on either side of the room spanned the short distance and held the weight of her drying clothes. She looked up, pointed ears flipping forward as a lemur stepped through the stout, oval door.

"Hey, well waddaya know. Yoko's come-to after all. You hungry, lil' lady?"

She sneered at his tone, painfully rolling onto her side. She didn't deserve to eat.

"Ah, Jonesy, bring her around some oatmeal and eggs. Coffee if we still have it."

"Aye aye." The skunk dubbed Jonesy stood and exited. The lemur sighed, rubbing at his disheveled hair and switching his tail before stepping over and sitting in the folding chair next to the cot.

"Do you remember what happened to you?" his rasped voice asked with concern.

She shuddered bitterly. She hadn't expected any of this to happen. If only her skull had been crushed with the impact, if only the boat hadn't even been there…

"Okaaay, let's start with your name. I doubt it's Yoko…."

"I am nameless." she snapped, her bare back to him. She pulled the thin sheets tightly around her, curling her tail more closely to her body.

"…..alright. Yoko it is, then. Remember anything? Like, who dropped you….?"

"I wasn't dropped, imbecile…." She hissed. She left it at that. They might try to stop her from fulfilling her duty if she divulged her true intentions.

"Fine, then. The bump on your head must be getting to you. I'll see if I can get more painkillers." He stood.

"Don't bother. I deserve the pain."

He eyed her uneasily before ducking out the door.

-o-

"Knux? duuuuuude? Hellooooooooooooooo?" Sonic called, walking the vast halls of the Fairchild mansion.

He peeked through the door of Knuckles' room, ears twitching.

"Helloo?"

_"Who goes?"_ asked a light, crystalline voice.

"eh…. I do. I guess…. Who….where…"

The speaker appeared in a flash of white, ethereal smoke directly in front of him. This caused him to squeak, trip over his own feet, and land on his backside on the cool marble.

"What the hell….?"

The white echidna smiled knowingly, offering a hand.

_"Don't be frightened."_

He hesitatingly took the delicate hand and allowed her to pull him to his feet.

_"You must be the one called Sonic."_ She stated.

He blinked, confused by the awkward situation and nodded dumbly.

_"I am Lumina."_ She touched a thin white hand to her chest. He noticed she was wearing gauze-like fabric that glowed slightly against her own brightness. She had slivery hair trailing silkily over her forehead and long, thin tendrils. Her blue eyes reminded him of cloudless sky….

"…… nice to…. meet you? Eh…. where's Knux?"

Her pristine brow furrowed slightly. _"The one called Knuckles?"_

"Yeah, eh, that's the one…."

She smiled knowingly again, eyes closing mirthfully as she placed her fingers to her mouth, giggling.

_"The one called Knuckles is no longer."_

Sonic's ears twitched with suspicion. "….. no longer than what? I don't get it. What the hell's going on anyway?"

His eyes widened as he spotted a dark form behind her. He yelped as it opened its glowing green eyes and began to advance to the two.

"Lady, look out!" he grasped her hand, only for it to dematerialize along with the rest of her. She appeared behind him, her large wings sprouted, opened and draped around the hedgehog protectively. He was thoroughly surprised, but allowed this, not knowing what else to do.

_"Emris, desist at once! He is not a foe."_ Lumina ordered.

Sonic gasped. Standing before them was a green echidna dressed in brown leather. Two straps spanned his muscular chest, and he wore a gladiator-style kilt studded with black metal. Spiked locks of hair hung down over his eyes, and his tendrils were netted with Mayan designs made from the same black metal. His knuckle barbs were long and menacing; three-inch bone protruding through the fur.

_**"You."**_ he rumbled.

"m….m….me?" Sonic ducked farther beneath the feathery barricade.

_**"I've seen you before."**_

"Really? Cause I'd remember you…."

_**"Silence, mortal!"**_

"eek…. Silencing." He gulped audibly.

The deity smirked, thumping his chest with a fist. _**"I am Myrthin Emris, master of the Emeralds."**_ he executed a curt bow.

"Nifty. Hey, it's been fun, but I think I left a stove on somewhere and…"

_"He lies in his fright."_ Lumina chuckled.

"Gee, that wasn't obvious." He lightly pushed aside the angelic wings and regarded Emris with a skeptical frown. He proceeded to walk around the echidna in close observation.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you looked exactly like Knuckles…. super Knuckles actually. Yeah, he turns green. That's right!" he snapped his fingers in discovery.

"So, are you Knuckles, or…." he scratched at an ear. Emris looked to Lumina frowning slightly in confusion.

She sighed, wings drooping. _"We must find the elders of the estate. They were expecting this."_

"SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK'S GOIN' ON HERE!"

Lumina took the hedgehog's arm in her own.

_"The elders will explain."_

Both deities looked up in alarm as a shrill voice called down the corridor.

"SOOOONIIIIC! Wait up! I-"

The fox, mid-flight, stopped short, dropping to his feet and staring widely at the two new faces. His ears flattened to his head in fear.

"Hey, it's fine. They're friendly….. or so I've gathered…. Anyway, you might as well tag along…… as usual…." He glanced to Lumina. "Lead the way!"

She nodded happily and the four strode down the corridor. Tails scooted close to Lumina, eyeing Emris with distrust.

"How weird could it possibly get?" he squeaked.

Don't worry, Tails. It's about to get a whole lot weirder.

-o-

The sand sprayed out in the wake of my jets, a rythmic rushing sound the only one made in the dense midday…. aside from the surf….. and my own loud thoughts…..

I pushed faster…. faster…. the salty air held me back. I strived faster still.

What's the point?

No one's gonna change my world…….

She did.

I swerved suddenly, halting. The breeze from my wake rushed to greet me, tasseling my quills wildly. I stared out at the ocean, eyes stinging from the dry air…. perhaps from hidden tears….

No more. No more. I'm done. Leave me be….

The cliff face rose high before me. I stepped to it, placing a hand to the warm, rough surface. I could feel the vibrations of the incoming train high above.

Why can't I stop thinking about her?

I screamed in rage, burying my fist in the rock, causing a spiderweb of cracks to branch from the abrasion. I punched again with the other fist, screaming again. gawdamnit…. Gawdamnit, forget about her!  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" again and again, I released my wrath upon the cliff face, seeing those scarlet eyes through the rising, burning tears.

Sobbing, I staggered backward, tripping over a large rock and landing in the surf. I didn't care.  
I loved her. I truly did. I realized then that I couldn't live without her. My life would only return to its empty, useless existence. I didn't think I'd mind…. I didn't mind before…. That was before I knew there was something to live for.

I stood, clenching my fists. I had to go back to her. I had to be there for her. SHE was my concern…. My child…… my responsibility….. my reason to live….

I felt the warmth of the emerald in my hand. The energy was close to spent…. I hoped I had enough…… I had to….. it was worth the risk, regardless.

Without further parry, I closed my eyes….. and concentrated on her face…. her room….her scent….

The yellow-golden essence engulfed me, and I teleported.

Her sleeping quarters melted into view. The minute my feet touched the ground, I called her name.

"Karpa! I'm back! Karpa?"

I sped off looking for her. Bathroom, empty…. Balcony, empty…. Closet, empty…hallway…..empty…. room after room I searched. I strained to smell her perfume, my eyes begged to catch a hint of gold….. none was found.

Hours passed. I was on my second search of the estate, skating through the halls at medium speed. Nothing….. nothing…. Where are you?

"KARPAAAAAAAAA!"

"Sir…?" a servant asked timidly. I swerved to a stop, panting and glaring at the grey raccoon.

"What?"

"Uh… you're looking for the heiress?"

"WHO ELSE?"

He fidgeted, looking away nervously.

"She… she left. Packed her bags… she didn't say where she was going… she just said she couldn't stay. She looked really sad….."

I was upon him in a second, my hands around his neck. I couldn't think straight. I wanted her back… I wanted someone to pay…. My vision clouded with red….. I slipped into instinct, gladly left my mind behind and allowed my bloodthirsty carnal propensities to take over…..

"s…s.….p….agck!...please…..n..no..nnnnh…" he rasped through his slowly-collapsing trachea. His hands helplessly clawed at the backs of mine… his eyes rolled back in his head….

A smile crept across my face as I felt the vertebrae separate, the flesh tear…. The warm blood seeped through my gloves, splattered my face….. calmed my soul. I let the body and head drop now as separate objects. The blood pooled around my feet.

….. what have I done?

(( FINALLY finished. Waa. This leaves suspense, it do. Unfortunately, the "enter deities" scene was a little more brief and corny than I'd have liked. I'll give a more descriptive introduction to the two probably in the next chappy. Anyway, Emris is Knux "possessed" by the Master Emerald. Possessed in the "nicer" sense. I'll explain later. Seeya.))


	17. Death is Taxing

((This is a horrible state in which to write. I'm hung over, depressed and dwelling on death. That's not even supposed to be remotely funny. But I figure, that's what stopped me from continuing last time. Maybe if I buck up and keep writing, the throbbing headache and stabbing heartache will dissipate.

I'm single, I now hate men (and women who are like that) in general, I'm NOT looking for anyone to "fill my emptiness" and I DON'T CARE HOW FUCKING FAT I GET, CHEESECAKE TASTES GODDAMN GOOD. Allow me to at least have that cake and eat it to. Eat it till my heart stops from cholesterol. FUCK DIETS, FUCK MEN AND FUCK SOCIETY! FUCK REPUBLICANS TOO!! YOU CAN ALL GO TO FUCKING HELL.

Ah. I feel better now.

No, no character comments, I have a headache.

_Chapter 17- Death is Taxing_

Nack woke with something of a start when his cell rang from the coffee table. He had literally passed out from exhaustion the night before in a cheap motel, nerves racked and body aching from the exertions of the day previous. The ringtone played again, the musical tone being "Rebel Yell," one of his old favorites.

He rubbed at his unshaven face for a moment, blinking with heavy eyes. He scrambled from the twisted sheets and answered the call.

"Hm?" he grunted sleepily.

"Hey, you sound dead. Should I call back?"

"Naw, I'm up. Hey, sis."

Nic chuckled on the other end.

"So, how's the brat? Not too much trouble I hope…?"

Nack slapped his forehead with anxiety, mouthing a curse, now fully awake.

"Oh, she's a handful! Reminds me of you, actually." He laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I know. Hey, pass the phone to her, would ya?"

"Um…uh….Why?"

"….because I want to talk to her. Is that alright?"

"Oh, uh, yeah…. She's um….she's still sleeping"

She sighed. "I bet she looks so cute… that's the only time I look at her and for a fleeting moment, I see an innocent little angel…"

Nack covered his mouth, wincing. Guilt stung at his gut.

"By all means, let her sleep. I'll call back in a couple days. I got a big job I'm pulling at the moment. You two keep safe, alright?"

"Yeah, sis, will do."

"Tell her Mommy misses her and all that good mushy business…" there was a pause, then a heavy sigh. "I just wish I could hold her… aw, I'll stop! Talk at ya later."

"Seeya." Nack felt like crying as he hastily hung up.

"Damn you, Nicole…. When I find you, I swear…"

-o-

They all sat in awkward silence. Sonic fidgeted, eyeing the stony Emris who stood beside the sofa, burly arms folded.

"So… it happened. Just as the prophecy said…" Mrs. Fairchild stated, delicate teacup poised over the saucer in her other hand. Her eyes were large behind her platinum-rimmed spectacles.

Lumina blinked at a servant as she was offered a tray of biscuits. Cerebus quickly shooed her away with annoyance.

"Well," he continued his thought, responding to the mutual inquiry from the deities, "I suppose I presumed that when the time, you two would know what to do." And then after a pause of staring at the large, green stranger for a moment longer, "Ye Gods, the Master Emerald! Unfathomable!"

He sat back, picking up his pipe and puffing nervously at it, gaze flicking from one unbelievable sight to the other. He chewed at the wood absently, thinking hard.

"The only thing I can propose is to visit the Temple of the Lumin at Ostax. Apparently the building- the land there itself holds some kind of power, so the tablets read. Whatever needs to be done may come to you there." He stood, and the others seated save Mrs. Fairchild stood after him. She just continued to sit there and stare at a veritable myth and fairytale made real.

((AN- neither of the elders ever saw Lumina- let alone Emris- in their physical form. It's like coming face-to-foot with a sasquatch. Sure, they had video and crap… and you told yourself it was probably real… but shit, there it is!))

-0-

Darkness was falling again. She didn't even bother to turn on a light anymore. She didn't need to see. Her eyes ached with the constant tears that didn't stop.

She sat where she had sat for two days, on a hotel couch, a glass of water before her on the coffee table. The soft tones of a song drifted from the other room. It had been set to play over and over, over and over. Some silly things mean so much… in times like this…

She clenched the handful of pills, a sigh softly escaped her lips.

_Rosie, Come with me _

_Close your eyes and dream _

_Close your eyes and dream _

The song drifted out to silence. Then the first few chords, strummed lovingly, signifying the beginning again. She slid a hand over her as-yet, still flat stomach, thinking of him.

Every memory was like a sweetly painful stab, making her smile tearfully as the emotional blood flowed. It was too late. Too late. She had no choice. She had backed herself into a corner she couldn't escape from. She couldn't live like this.

Where we all go can't be bad… can it?

Can it?

She shuddered a persistent sigh, her hand trembling as it met her mouth. The bitterness flooded her tastebuds, and she quickly followed the merciful tablets with cool, stale water.

_Close your eyes…. And dream. _

(( I'm stopping early… I had to get into character and now I need to… be alone. Art imitates life. I need a drink.))


	18. Back to You

(( Yeah, I know my last chapter was really short. Nobody's reading anyway, so it really doesn't matter. I guess I'm writing for myself now.))

I do not own anything sonic-related.

_Chapter 18- Back to You_

Li'l Nikki climbed out from under the rain cover that had hid her in the back of the black pickup truck for the last two hours, heaving her backpack after her. Luckily, the owners hadn't seen her as they strolled into the casual country diner.

She lugged the bulky, pale-pink pack onto the aqua counter, sighing heavily with fatigue.

A doe waitress saw her, smiling cheerily as she came over, leaning on the other side with a notepad and pen.

"You look tired, sweetie. Want a soda? We have floats and malts too, if you'd like…" the doe asked.

"Coffee." the child stated. "And some cream if you have it." She rubbed at an eye with the heel of her hand.

The waitress' eyebrows rose at this, she clicked her pen. "Right away, ma'am." she replied with mild sarcasm. She was used to "big kids." Always in a hurry to grow up.

Nikki just needed to stay awake for a few more hours. Just till she got some money and found the bus.

"…promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep…" she recited the old saying she heard her father- and often her uncle- say at moments like these.

I have to get home…get home and wait for mom… I did a bad thing… she'll know what to do…

She thanked the deer as she was served her steaming brew and cream. She stirred and sipped hastily, and didn't look up as the door jingled open… and a bat stood in the doorway.

-0-

The foghorn sounded, causing Aka to jolt upright, gasping and damp. She threw aside the dusky blanket, standing. She staggered, feeling a sudden, intense dizziness. Saliva pooled in her mouth. She swerved, found the small toilet and rushed to it. The lemur came through the door as she coughed helplessly into the bowl.

"That's a nasty bump on your head, there, Yoko. We'll have you to a hospital in another week or two, promise."

She snarled over her shoulder at him, long hair sticking to her face and neck. "My name is _not_ Yoko!"

The lemur looked at his boots, hands in pockets, then at her again, eyebrows raised in the kind of disinterested way he might have addressed one of his shipmates. "It'd be easier if you just told me your name, ma'am."

She turned back to the dingy little metal toilet, feeling her empty stomach contract again, forcing bitter liquid into her throat.

He patted the doorpost, letting her know he was leaving, and then returned to his duties.

-

She zipped her suit, looking to the tattered shirt they had dressed her in with distaste. She may have not been worthy of life, but no warrior could die gracefully in something that reeked of sailors.

She made her way up to the deck, swaying with the movement of the vessel. There was a storm tossing them about, and she shielded her eyes against the spray as she stepped out into the driving rain.

She then promptly strode to the edge…

and dove off of it.

-0-

The tired trio got out of the SUV, stepping into the little country diner, looking forward to a warm meal.

Espio looked around, nodded. "Inconspicuous enough. We should be alright here."

Kai looked to Poe as she removed her coat to lay it over the back of the booth seat. "No sign of… out friend?"

She shook her head. Apparently she had been the only one of the original trinity to have caught a glimpse of this mysterious "head assassin."

Kai leaned in close to the raven across the table, whispering urgently. "You know at least a little of what to expect, then…"

She nodded slightly.

"Go on, then…"

Poe glanced uneasily toward the counter as a child staggered in, throwing her book bag onto it and sighing. She leaned in closer, resting her forearms on the wooden surface.

"She's a woman, about Aka's height and build. She had pointed ears, like a fox or a cat. Her fur was almost pink, but more like red… or lavender. Somewhere between those. I remember her accent the most, though…"

"Coffee. And cream, if you have it." The child demanded. Espio gave her a curious glance from his place beside Kai, then returned his attention to Poe's recollection of their pursuer.

"Sounded French, to me. French and something else. I don't know accents very well, but that's what it was like. I'd recognize it anywhere."

"And her face?" Espio inquired. Poe shook her head.

"I was eavesdropping on the Boss. I only saw her from the back through a crack in the door. I wish I could tell you more."

"Trying to steal from the master thief? You should know better," a silky, familiar voice purred. "I'm the best tracker you'll ever meet, you little bitch. You can't run from me. You can't hide. There's nowhere I wouldn't have found you."

The child looked up slowly from her cup, regarding the woman with large fear-filled eyes.

Espio stood. "We should move to another table."

The other two agreed.

-0-

Shadow took the folded paper with the card key in it from the receptionist, slinging his bag back to his shoulder and heading for the elevator. He was deeply buried in what appeared to be thought- from the onlooker.

He was actually operating on auto-pilot. His mind was buried in the numbness of aftershock.

He looked at his hands, after the elevator started moving. His gloves were missing. He acknowledged, somewhere in his mind, that he had thrown them away. Why..?

_Red red red. Lots of red. Lots and lots of red._

He tilted his head, smiling dreamily as the memories returned to him behind deadened eyes…

The screams sounded so musical to him… it was like playing an instrument. Break a bone, and you got another note. He had laughed. It was amusing. It was funny as hell.

And the knife… the shiny, shiny knife…

The knife brought the red. He liked red.

He had tasted it from the shiny knife, and it had tasted good.

He giggled drunkenly to himself, still looking at his hands. His happy little moment was broken when the elevator stopped with a short tone. It wasn't his floor…

A woman stepped in with him, giving him a cursory polite smile as she pressed the lobby button.

"I was going up."

"Oh, sorry. I guess I didn't see the-"

Her eyes widened as a hand was clamped to her mouth.

The doors opened to the fifth floor, and Shadow hoisted the strap of his bag to his shoulder, licking his fingers as he strode down the hall. The doors slid shut and hid the red.

His eyes took on that dreamy, dead look again as he removed the key from its slip.

He stopped suddenly, eyes going wide. He looked to the door at his right. Something… something itched at him from behind it. It itched at the backs of his eyes… it itched inside his ears…

The door swung violently open, the post where the lock had been shattering from the force of his shoulder.

The woman looked up, and he saw red.

Silky black swan wings arched angelically over the body she held lovingly in her arms. She had been stroking the blonde hair as she slumbered, her head against the apparition's shoulder. She was smiling back into like red eyes knowingly.

_"You've been a busy boy, haven't you?"_ her sharp fangs appeared in a demonic grin. _"You've been a very busy boy since last we met."_

He nodded.

_"I'm glad you came…. I've been so worried about you… and I'm glad to see you're back to your old ways… but this time, it's not only humans, is it?"_

He shook his head, face still expressionless. He liked the red in her eyes.

_"No… they _all_ need to pay, don't they, Shadow?"_

He nodded again, a smile tugging at his mouth.

_"Especially her…"_ she looked down and stroked the pale hair again… and when Shadow first looked… he saw someone else in the demoness' arms…

"Muh…"

"She's only sleeping now…" she tilted her head in a motherly sort of way, grazing her cheek lightly with the back of her midnight hand. "She made a silly mistake. Many silly mistakes."

_No… no, it's not her… it's…the other one…_ He wanted to be angry. He wanted to be so outraged… but all he felt in its place was despair… and a sort of homesickness. He was very lost now.

Itshell laid Karpa down on the couch as she stood, folding her pale hands neatly on her stomach, patting them softly. _"She has something of yours, Shadow."_

"I know."

_"You need to take it back."_

"I… huh?" he frowned at her in confusion.

She held up the large knife on flat palms. "In her chest. It's rightfully yours, isn't it? You sought it out, didn't you? She got in your way. It's really yours."

He nodded, taking the knife. It _was_ his… how true… he needed it.

-0-

Lumina's eyes widened, and she collapsed to he knees on the alabaster steps leading up to the temple. Emris was at her side, holding her arm worriedly.

_"We must make haste…"_ she stated urgently, breathless.

_**"Yes, she's back…"**_

((Ok, I tried to get every tiny storyline in there, but I missed Nack. It's like 2AM and I could give a shit anymore. Nobody really cares, so fuckit.))


	19. The Tragedy

((I dearly wanted this updated, and since so very many people have been kind enough to review and fave my stories and me, I'm doing what I've so long tarried.))

Sonic: W00t! I like this fic.

Shadow: soo happy for you. ::sips energy drink::

Sn: hey, where'd you get that?? I want one!!

Sh: like you need it.

Knux: ::takes the drink from Shady:: I need it more than either of you. Tarsa keeps me up all night. ::guzzles::

Sh: someone's losing their stamina, methinks… ::ducks flying fist::

A: children, please. You'lll all get your own individual cans of Rockstar in your flavors of choice should I finish this chappy and two others in my other fics. Now, hop to it!

Tails: aye aye, cap'n!

()()()( No ownies the Sonicshtuff. I do own ::deep breath:: KarpaTarsaMoraeLilNikkiKaiPoeAkaTheFairchildFamilyTheBossTheDeitiesandItchaelandanyoneelseiforgot.)()()()

**_Chapter 19- The Tragedy_**

The surviving members of the Unholy Trinity and Espio were back on the road again. Espio had marked, with half an eye, the progression of Rouge's drama with the ferret kit, and had left well enough alone without being recognized. The last thing he needed in the midst of all this was to get tangled up in her problems again. Let the runt get what was coming to her; Rouge was usually in the right set of mind about that sort of thing anyway. That's what he told himself in order to forget the whole ordeal. He had watched with mild amusement and a tinge of pity as Rouge carried the poor kit from the diner by the scruff of her neck, holding the bulging backpack in her other tightly clenched fist.

He didn't mention to his two traveling companions his relationship to the bat- didn't want to distract. Right now, they had a basic outline of their current enemy, and were on careful watch. The boss liked his "employees" to travel in style, so thusly they expected a rather expensive vehicle to be pursuing them, should they happen to see one following too close for comfort. They had pooled all their available weaponry in the back seat, marking ammo needed for each gun.

"So… we just keep going?" Poe asked as she drove her shift, watching the yellow lines standing out in the pool of light from the headlights.

"No." Kai folded her arms, looking out the passenger window as she sat shotgun. "He'll keep chasing us. We've got to bring it to him."

Espio started from his busy chore of carefully cleaning a handgun. "What??"

"You 'eard me."

Poe frowned at the road, beak ajar with disbelief. "Girl, you're trippin'."

"On the contrary, I think we have better odds against him in the open than being cornered in a month… or a week… when we've run out of options and he has us like snakes in a bloody barrel."

"And you're so sure about that?" Espio leaned forward, poking his head between the seats and giving her a skeptical look. She ignored him, determined gaze set on the yellow lines. He looked to Poe, finding her deep in thought.

"Poe?"

"Hate to admit it, but she's right. We need to make some different plans. And I need to call in a favor."

-0-

Things weren't going swimmingly for Nack the weasel. He was short a niece, and therefore wasting precious thieving time looking for her. He had just shut off his phone, not wanting to hear from his sister again like that morning. He had exhausted his resources in both the lost children's foundation and the less savory people he happened to know in the slavery business. Hey, these things happen, especially to runaway kids. That little brat was lucky he had friends in low places. She was now "off limits" to any collector that happened to find her, thanks to good ol' uncle Nack.

He munched on a burger he managed to snatch from an unsuspecting teenager, sipping on a coffee he nabbed from some middle-aged woman leaving a Starbucks. Hey, this was a relatively big city, and cops had better things to do than look into stolen lunch items.

He just hoped the strange woman he'd met the night before had better things to do as well.

--0--

What an idiot.

I'd been tailing him for a full day now, with no luck in finding his connection with the Trinity. He was wary, no doubt, since we last met, and was probably trying to lose me in a goose chase. I questioned those… _monstres_ he had spoken with, and found nothing. So, I did what anyone with half a conscience would do; I put a bullet in each of their skulls. Maybe it was more for personal satisfaction, but what would you do if you met a _monsieur_ who knowingly and happily sold young children for godless purposes? And you happened to have a gun?

I thought so.

The _stupide_ weasel apparently had a taste for free things. It disgusted me. And that "sandwich" he was eating had already had bites out of it from its original consumer. If I didn't find something soon, he'd be going down as well.

… even if he was _petit_ _attrayant…_

-0-

The biggest insult to any self-respecting thief is to be robbed. Robbed by a simple-minded, freeloading little KID at that.

She had the good sense to stay quiet on the ride back home. I suppose she knew her welcome was up, at this point.

"You're going to come clean, now, Nikki. Is that even your real name?"

She nodded sullenly. I continued, not taking my eyes from the road.

"You're going to tell me who put you up to this. I know you're not acting alone, you can't have been. And if you don't tell me, I'm turning you in to child services."

She huffed. "I can break out of an orphanage in five minutes. Why not turn me in to the authorities? Send me off to Juvvie?"

Damn that kid. She was smarter than I would have liked.

"You know damn well why. Stop being a smartass." I thought frantically. I didn't want to have to lock her up. Too much work- feeding her and limiting bathroom breaks… and suppose someone came looking for her? I did not want to have to deal with more random people showing up at my "stronghold."

…

Then it hit me. It amazed me how I could have missed the connection this whole time. I grinned.

"Fine. You won't tell me, so I'll take a wild guess. It was Nack, wasn't it?"

She sat up a fraction straighter, but continued to glare out the windshield with her arms tightly crossed.

"You know, I almost shot him when you two broke in. I should have put a bullet in his skull. If I'd known you were in cahoots with him, I would have shot you too. You must have missed the big red signs posted around my property: 'TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT, SURVIVORS WILL BE SHOT AGAIN'."

She bit her lip and her brows furrowed slightly.

We came to a stop light, I slowed to a stop and looked at her.

"So… I suppose you're in a bit of a pickle, my friend. What do you intend to do about it?"

She fidgeted with her sleeve, licking her lips and glancing shiftily out the passenger window. I should have known right there what was about to happen.

"… I believe I'll take my leave." She said quickly, then in two swift movements, she unlocked the door and slipped out into the drizzling night. I swore loudly and almost got out myself, but the light had changed. Besides, she left her backpack. Who cares what happens to the little bitch now? Let her run back to Nack. Fat chance he'd get up enough gall to show his ugly face anywhere near my place again. I drove off, letting the wind close the passenger door, and patted the heavy bulge of the pink backpack lovingly.

-0-

It is dark in the land of the dead. The river Styx lulls its passenger to soft slumber, and one can hear the gentle lap of the nepenthe against the velvety black planks of the ferry.

There is no sky. There is only black ceiling dipping jagged stone spears. Everything is bitterly cold.

Cold but comforting. The kind nepenthe warms the chest, then the stomach as it slides down the throat.

And so she drinks. She drinks of the river Styx, and she has paid the ferryman, and so she slumbers against the hull… waiting to reach the other side.

-0-

She was so beautiful.

He thought this over and over, holding the long and beautiful knife, and leaning over her fretfully still form. The velvety black hands caressed her lovingly. She was already at peace. She could go softly. No harm done. He wanted to see her beautiful golden fur festooned with red running ribbons of her precious blood…

It was for the best.

And he wanted to obey Maria.

It was, after all, Maria holding her now. Maria had wings. Maria was so very beautiful. Maria loved him. Loved him more than this pitiful creature had ever loved him while she was alive. Oh… she's not dead yet. He was thinking ahead of himself. He slid the knife over her chest, then dipped it down her blouse. He sliced away the pink fabric, revealing those perfect breasts he had kissed and adored in another life. He kissed them again, reverently, and thought a silent prayer for her, positioning the knife at her sternum. This time, he would not falter to carry out his orders. This time, he would obtain what was his.

(((I have more, but I have to stop here, lest I get ahead of my own plot again. I may have ruined it, as well, by giving away the true climax too soon. Shame on Aeyvi, shame shame. Anyway, very pleased with this chappy. Review))


	20. La Belette et le Chat

(((Some of this was actually written for chapter previous. I ended up putting it in this one because I was jumping ahead of myself. That, and chapter 19 is titled: The Tragedy. Can't very well have any uplifting content in something like that. Anywell, I'm writing again. That's something.

Merry Christmas.

Sonic: damnit, I'm being neglected again.

Tails: HATE it when this happens. Main characters not even mentioned for CHAPTERS. PLURAL.

A: ::ignores them:: don't you love how the plot's progressing? ^___^

(((Aeyvi does not own Sonic things))

_**Chapter 20- La Belette et le Chat  
(The Weasel and the Cat)**_

Still no sign of Nikki.

It must have been a week since I had seen her. Felt like it. Out of money, out of gas. I'd already been kicked out of the motel for overstaying without paying. This city is full of slim pikins and that's about it. Security's too tight on most stores- even the fucking drug stores and gas stations. Cops every-fuckin-where. It looked like I might actually have to get a job.

I picked another pocket on my way back to my alley, and the wallet had three bucks in it. Not enough to get me ten feet out of this city. Does no one carry a credit card in this place? Or even more than five bucks at a time? It's ludicrous.

I slumped next to my bike on a puce yoga mat I'd found in a dumpster. It smelled vaguely of patchouli and some odd cheese. I missed Nikki. She was good at scrounging up cash in a pinch. She could look so pitiful while making up some story about not being able to pay for bus fare home from the library or something equally well-thought out. One look at me and most people shy away.

The jeans I'd snagged from a neglected shopping bag were already fraying at the knees, and I still couldn't find a decent shirt. It had been rainy and cold, and newspapers weren't very good shelter. Miserable is a good word to sum up the alley days of my life.

The only plus was that I'd managed to find a dealer… and snag a baggie of something from his pocket when he was distracted. Looked like pot. Too bad I didn't have any papers. Go fucking figure.

I gnawed on my last piece of jerky and considered what I might put on a job application.

Then, my ears picked up familiar footsteps making their way into my alley. I drew my gun and used a shard of mirror to peek around the dumpster.

I got a glimpse of her raising her gun and the mirror in my hand shattered. Bleeding fuck, that hurt. The bullet missed me, but shards of glass were buried in my palm. My glove, obviously, was ruined. I bit back a scream of anguish, dropping my gun and clutching my wrist. I needed a tourniquet. There was glass in some major artery or vein or fuck who knows what. I was gushing blood.

She sauntered over and stood before me. I glared at her shoes, the rim of my hat obscuring her view of my face. I tried to blink away a couple stray tears. Damnit, I couldn't help it, alright? You get sliced in the hand, see how you like it.

"_Désolé._" I could hear her smirking, whatever the hell she'd just said. She snatched my hat off my head and dragged me to my knees by my ears, loosing the scab from the bullet graze of three days ago and making me bleed from there too. Didn't even feel it. My hand was a hot red ball of agony.

I felt the baggie break in my pocket since the jeans were so tight. I had an urge to eat some of the stuff, maybe it would dull the pain and give me a few moments of happy release before she killed me.

She strode around me, dragging the barrel of her gun along my shoulders, then across my chest.

"What am I to do with you, _mon_ _Belette_? You are no use. You are a common thief. You are refuse and filth. You make us look very bad, _mon ami_. If you are to steal, you steal what is worth stealing. Petty crime is useless."

She stopped in front of me and squatted down on her haunches. She lifted my chin with two of her long, clawed fingers and looked into my eyes. My God, she was so beautiful. Her irises were a perfect shade of gold, speckled with copper around her almond pupils. Those beautiful eyes were comforting and merciless. Hot and icy cold. She smelled fantastic, too. Not like perfume… like that… that sweet woman-smell. Musky and sweet and… yummy. Damned if I wasn't getting a hard-on before I died.

I saw her little tan cat nose flare too. I almost laughed, it was cute. Blood loss was making me loopy, and I grinned. We were like two primitive animals, sniffing at each other.

But, as it turned out, it wasn't me she smelled.

I saw her reaching for my pants and for a minute, I thought she was going for my goods. I didn't know whether to be frightened or… well, excited. She was going for my right pocket (not the other thing, which happened to be poking up to the right… that general area) and pulled out the baggie. Her finger grazed the tip of my… you know… and it felt mildly nice. I was going cold and numb by then. Some of the stuff scattered into the pool of blood I was sitting in, and a breeze made quite a bit of it fly into my fur and face.

Weirdest goddamn thing happened next. She started rubbing her face in the bag and purring loudly. She dropped her gun and nuzzled that bag like it was some long lost boyfriend.

Catnip. I nabbed a bag of fucking 'nip. Whatever good it would have done me, I don't know. Glad I didn't try to smoke it. And there wasn't even that much left in there, most of it sprinkled onto me, the ground and… and the majority was still in my pocket.

I grasped some sanity and scooted back to my mat while she was distracted, ripping off the hem of a pantleg and using a rusted metal spike to make a crude tourniquet. If I'd known 'nip did this, I would have found some days ago. Maybe things would've turned out differently. I had pulled out the worst of the glass when she dropped the bag and began licking her fingers. She looked at me with fully dilated eyes, little nose flaring rhythmically again.

"Shit…"

I reached for my gun, but it was too far away and I didn't have the strength left. She crawled towards me on all fours, tail swishing. Then she coiled, swayed that adorable little ass twice, and pounced.

She began licking my face all over, her rough sandpaper tongue made my skin tingle like hell. She moved down my neck, cleaned my chest, my stomach… needless to say my erection was back with a vengeance. God… this was so hot. I gained a little courage, grabbing her under the arms and pulling her back up my body. I managed to unbutton her blouse and tug her black bra down a bit… revealing pert, candy-pink nipples… before she began kneading at my pocket and purring obliviously. I admired her for a bit, she was a perfect specimen of female feline. Her thin, silky tail swayed hypnotically back and forth. I started to zone out, all my attention on that tuft of creamy fur at the end of her tail.

I realized then that bloodloss was taking me down. I fought to stay alert… blacking out could mean the end, at that point. I pushed her back, trying to get her attention. "Hey, sweetie..." and then I noticed a glitter of gold. There was a pendant around her neck, looked like an oblong coin with horizontal lines on it. _Moraé _was etched in cursive diagonally down its length.

"Moraé? Is that your name?"

She looked me in the eyes for a moment, pupils contracting slightly. It looked like the name hit home.

"It's a pretty name… Moraé…" I smiled. And in a miracle, she smiled back a little, tail twitching. Yeah, she was still high as a kite.

"Listen, Moraé, we need to get some shade, baby. You got any cash?" I checked her pockets, found a little card case. Plenty of charge plates… holy SHIT a black Mastercard!! Can you fucking believe it?? Tom fucking Cruise and that balding bastard Trump have black Mastercards!!! Along with that were some gold-edged black business cards, but I was in too much of a hurry to read what they said. I tucked her back into her bra- maybe a little ashamed of myself- and buttoned her shirt back up. She has closed her eyes in a happy little squint and was still purring. I dragged her to her feet with my good right hand.

"Can you stick close, kitten? Huh? Y'wake in there?" I opened one of her eyes gently, checking for lucidity. She was aware of me, at least, and licked my hand.

-

I had tucked both her and my guns into the rear pouch on Queenie, and with the eighth of a tank I had left we managed to get to a gas station, then a drug store for some bandages and disinfectant or whatnot. We crashed in a nice little hotel.

You learn how to stitch yourself back up in my line of business. Didn't take me very long to get the wound cleaned, closed and covered. I thought I might actually be able to use it in another week or so. As for Moraé, she was cuddling my pants on the bed. I was considerate and took them off for her. Heh heh.

And I'll tell you what, that hard on had come back to watch. There's just something about the way her body curves… the way her tail kept slithering back and forth on the satin sheets… the way she nipped and licked at those stupid pants…

To hell with my conscience. I slid off my shoes and belt, hopped on the bed with her and spread her onto her back. She grabbed my shoulders playfully and licked my collarbone. She didn't object when I undressed her. Sliding those tight jeans off her thighs was the hottest part. She had gone commando that morning. I leaned in to kiss the center of the delicate Y line made by her legs and sweet, sweet rosebud… when she grabbed the sides of my head with clawed hands and started gnawing on my ear. Kinda broke my concentration, there. I sat up and glared at her. She laid back and made little kitten-paws out of her hands, on either side of her head on the pillow. She had the most adorable look on her face. Like a playful pet. Her tail started hitting me in the side, apparently of its own accord.

I sighed. I couldn't do my deed while she was acting like a little kid. The mood was gone. I just scooted up next to her in bed and rested an arm over my eyes.

"See you tomorrow, kitten."

She just went back to smothering herself with my pants.

-0-

The white fox secretary fidgeted with her bracelet nervously. The Boss had kept his large doors closed all day. They had been that way since he had slammed them with a resounding boom several hours previous. She had jumped almost out of her own fur and nearly wet herself when that had happened. Ever since she heard about employees meeting "unfortunate accidents," she had been extremely on-edge. She had considered emailing her resignation, but felt faint thinking about the consequences of that action. Lately, three employees had gone absent without notice, and a fourth had failed to report that morning. The secretary had no real idea what it was the Boss' company really did, was never fully informed, and honestly didn't want to know. She was regretting taking the advice of a friend of a friend, and sending her resume to this very building. Well… it was a recession, after all. She couldn't turn up her nose at such a well-paying entry-level job with so little expected of her.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Meditation always made her feel better. She had begun the cool-down process, concentrating o the top of her head and working her way down her body (as the process goes) when there came a very loud shattering sound from within those huge, black double-doors. She yipped, shrinking in her chair and clapping her hands over her head defensively. She listened hard but heard nothing more.

She considered calling in using the P.A. on the desk. Her white index and middle fingers hovered hesitantly over the red bar-shaped button. Her pale blue eyes shifted from the device, to the wall, to the door, to the button again. She depressed it.

"Um… sir? Are you alright?"

No response.

"…. Sir? Can I get you anything?"

Silence.

She sat back and hugged herself for several minutes. It was always very cold on this floor. She was a little embarrassed that her winter coat had come in and it was still September. Usually she wasn't full-white till around Christmas. She wondered if maybe the Boss was suffering as well, or if he liked it this way.

Either way, he was keeping his peace… and that was making her nervous. Usually, he answered her. She knew she was strictly forbidden to disturb him when the doors were shut. She hadn't really even seen his face. She brought his coffee and his lunch trays only a few feet into his office, and he was usually turned around in his large, dark blue leather chair when she did this. His voice, the only thing she recognized him, was deep and velvety, with a touch of an accent she thought might be Russian. She mused on these things while she stared at the foreboding black wood of the doors. What harm could come of knocking on them?

She left her desk, stepping lightly to the doors. She lifted a dainty fist, hesitated, then knocked ever so gently.

"Sir?"

Still, no answer.

By the sound of that crash, he could be hurt. He could have had an attack of some kind. She had no clue as to how old the man was, or to his physical condition, so anything could be possible. In those situations, opening the doors would be perfectly fine- nay- expected of her. She had to make sure he was alright.

She still was wary of touching one of the ornate handles just yet. She laid one large, pointed ear to the blackened wood and listened. She distinctly heard a deep, low grinding sound. It came in pulses lasting several seconds, repeating itself over and over. It was a worrisome sound. It reminded her of what people called a death-rattle. She had never heard it herself, but this sound chilled her worse than the cold room around her. She was certain this sound meant death.

So, she opened the door.

The right door creaked lightly as she opened it slowly and peeked in. The room was dark, all windows save one tucked behind deepest navy velvet curtains. The one uncovered revealed a high, breathtaking noon view of downtown Station Square. There was a large chunk of glass missing, with spider-fractures reaching for the frame around it. Warm air issued in from the hole in the two-inch-thick panes.

His back was to her. She noted he was upright, but hunched, leaning against a large black bookcase. His black silk shirt was pushed back at the sleeve, revealing a white left arm dashed with thick dark blue stripes. Pink-white claws dug into the side panel of the bookcase, and it was now that she noticed the slashes in many of the curtains, in the wallpaper, in the plush carpet, his chair, his desk…

That deep grinding sound was much louder now, and the repetition of it increased in speed and pitch as his rounded cat-ears flicked back in her direction. That grinding sound was no death-rattle. It was a low, deadly feral growl. His long, thick, banded tail lashed in warning. She trembled, backing away from the door. She shrieked airily when he whirled around, fixing her with slit pupils.

"You opened the door." his voice carried that grinding growl with it. The girl's tail had bristled to a large poof and her ears were flattened to her head. She sank to her knees, eyes watering.

"I'm sorry, sir, I heard a crash and I thought you were hurt or something I never meant to bother you honestly sorry please I'm sorry plea-"

"I told you…" he flexed his claws slowly in and out of their sheathes, kneading the air at his sides. His cleft upper lip trembled over bright white fangs. "… not to open…"

"I know I know I'm sorry I'll go ok? I'll go and," she began to close the doors again, scooting back on her knees and grabbing the handles. He advanced swiftly, yanking the doors inward from her grip and spraining her wrist in the process. She emitted a single light shriek and cradled it, shrinking away as he leaned close to her. The loud, deep grinding filled her ears.

"… these doors."

She trembled violently, head bowed.

He stooped there a few moments, then rose, pulling a folded piece of grey paper from the breast pocket of his dress shirt. He tossed it at her, making her jolt a bit.

"Call that number, see if you can get her to answer."

"wh-"

"Get… up…" he started leaning down again. This got her to her feet.

"… go do your job. Call her till she answers."

She stood there, trembling in her now-damp blue dress, clutching the paper.

"_**I will not ask you again!" **_he roared. She dashed behind her desk, clutching the arm rest of her chair and crying on her knees.

"Silly twit." he muttered, and slammed the doors shut in front of him.

-0-

The black SUV pulled into the arched entryway at the base of the black skyscraper. A chameleon slid out the driver side door, a basilisk lizard out the passenger door, a crow out the rear left… and a very large, green parrot squeezed out the rear hatch.

"I can't thank you enough for this, Boomer." Poe said to the parrot as a valet drove off in the SUV.

"S'no bother. Anything for my dear American friend." He smiled amiably and ruffled her feathery head, which was about chest level to him.

"Never been to New Zealand, Boom. Is it much like Australia? I heard it was." Kai asked, glancing up at him while readjusting her rifle case.

"You two have the same accent, anyway." Espio observed, straightening his lapels distractedly and looking up at the reflection of sky against the edifice's glossy panes. His keen eye caught a break in the mirrored surface, possibly on the topmost floor.

His head snapped back down when Kai punched him hard in the shoulder.

"We do not. Honestly, as detail-obsessed as you are, you pay no attention sometimes."

He frowned at her, rubbing his arm, wondering what he'd done wrong.

And thus, the Unholy Duo, Espio and a new friend advanced into the lobby.

((I fear I've dragged this on long enough. Yeah, I know, I only touched on my lesser storylines in this chapter, and Sonic (& friends) is STILL missing from the story right now- but trust me! He'll have his part soon. I mean, if you really want him to, sure.

Oh, and I've been wanting to use Boomer for some time. If you like, you can look up "Boomer" and "New Zealand" to get an idea of what/who he is. (He is an actual, living creature!) Oh, and also, you really need to comment/review. I took time out of my busy Christmas Schedule to hammer this out for you. Show some appreciation.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Krazy Kwanza and have a wonderful whatever else you might celebrate.)))


	21. Farewell

The Poe regretfully informs you that she is officially retiring from fan fiction (if not altogether, mainly Sonic fan fiction).

Yes, I'm sorry. I need to focus on original works. By the way, you may find them on fictionpress thusly: ht tp : / / www . fictionpress . com / u / 421903 / (remove spaces). If FFnet insists on screwing even that up, just look for aeyvithepoe.

I have already received notice from a couple fans who are happy to complete one story or another. Shoot me an email, a note, a tweet, or a comment on DA letting me know which story and please link me to your published work when a chapter is completed. I don't need to tell you to credit me, do I? I figured that was a given, since I struggled over this pulped crap for the worse part of five years.

Thank you for the reviews and your constant reading! I love you all, and I know I'll miss you. I probably won't miss the fan fiction for a few more years, though. Aeyvi's taking wing.

Contact info: (remove spaces, add "at" sign)  
email: aeyviallenpoe "at" hotmail . com  
twitter: ht tp : / / twitter . com / aeyviallenpoe  
deviantart: ht tp : / / aeyviallenpoe . deviantart . com /


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